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The championship series is headed to a final seventh game after the Los Angeles Dodgers kept their repeat hopes intact Friday night with a three to one win over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions ended Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a dramatic game-ending double play, stunning a Rogers Centre crowd that had arrived prepared to cheer the team's championship in over three decades.

Game 6 Summary

Los Angeles generated all of their offense in the third inning. With two outs, Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked before Smith hit a two-bagger to left to bring home Edman. Freddie Freeman earned a base on balls to fill the bases, and Betts came through with a two-run single to left, handing the Dodgers a three-run advantage.

Betts’ hit broke a postseason slump and revived the title holders' aspirations of being the first repeat World Series winners since the Yankees won three straight from 1998 through 2000.

Pitching Duel

Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that point, striking out six of the first seven batters he faced. He struck out 8 through three innings, matching a Fall Classic mark, but the third-frame rally proved costly. The Toronto ace ended with 8 Ks over six innings, allowing three earned runs on three hits and two free passes.

Yamamoto, in contrast, was steady again under stress. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled Gausman for the second time in a week, giving up one run on five hits over six innings with six strikeouts. He boosted his record to 4–1 this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him came on George Springer two-out base hit in the third, driving in Barger, who had hit a double previously in the frame. That single offered a momentary lift in his comeback to the lineup after sitting out two games with an oblique injury.

Bullpen Effort

From there, the Los Angeles relievers carried the load. First-year pitcher Justin Wrobleski escaped a jam in the seventh, and fellow rookie Rōki Sasaki pitched into the ninth before plunking Kirk to start the inning. Barger then hit a two-base hit that became wedged under the left-center-field fence, obliging runners to stay at second and third base.

Glasnow, Los Angeles’ third game starter, entered in relief and got a popout before Giménez lined to left field. Hernández caught the ball and fired to second to retire Barger, clinching the victory and giving the pitcher his first-ever successful save.

Next Up: Game 7

The best-of-seven now comes down to a single contest. Max Scherzer will start for Toronto, becoming the only living pitcher to start more than one seventh games of the World Series after doing so in the 2019 season with the Nationals. The 40-year-old signed a one-year deal to chase one more title and has been a outspoken presence throughout this postseason.

The Los Angeles squad, aiming to be baseball’s first back-to-back title winners in nearly a quarter-century, are expected to lean on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.