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The World Series is going to a final seventh game following the Los Angeles Dodgers kept alive their title defense hopes intact on Friday with a 3–1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The reigning title holders ended Toronto’s late-game comeback with a dramatic final twin killing, stunning a home crowd that had come ready to cheer the city’s first title in 32 years.

Game 6 Recap

Los Angeles produced all of their scoring in the third frame. With two outs, Ohtani was purposely passed before Smith doubled to left field to score Edman. Freddie Freeman drew a walk to load the bases, and Betts delivered with a two-run single to left, giving the Dodgers a 3–0 advantage.

Betts’ hit broke a playoff dry spell and rekindled the defending champions’ aspirations of being the first repeat World Series victors since the Yankees won three straight from 1998 to 2000.

Mound Duel

Gausman had been dominant to that stage, striking out half a dozen of the initial seven Dodgers he confronted. He fanned eight through three frames, tying a World Series record, but the third-inning barrage proved costly. The Toronto ace finished with eight strikeouts over six innings, allowing three runs on three hits and two free passes.

Yamamoto, meanwhile, was steady again under stress. The righty outpitched Gausman for the second time in a week, giving up one run on five base hits over six innings with six Ks. He improved to 4–1 this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him came on George Springer two-out single in the third inning, driving in Addison Barger, who had hit a double earlier in the inning. Springer’s hit provided a brief spark in his comeback to the starting nine after sitting out a pair of contests with an side strain.

Relief Heroics

After that, the Dodgers’ bullpen carried the load. Rookie Wrobleski escaped a jam in the seventh inning, and another rookie Sasaki worked into the ninth inning before plunking Alejandro Kirk to start the frame. Addison Barger then hit a two-base hit that got stuck under the outfield wall, forcing base runners to stay at second and third.

Glasnow, Los Angeles’ Game 3 starting pitcher, came on in a relief role and got a popout before Andrés Giménez lined to left field. Hernández caught the ball and fired to second to retire Barger, sealing the win and earning Glasnow his first career save.

Next Up: Seventh Game

The series now boils down to a single contest. Max Scherzer will take the mound for Toronto, becoming the sole active hurler to start more than one seventh games of the World Series after accomplishing that in 2019 with the Nationals. The 40-year-old signed a single-season contract to pursue another championship and has been a outspoken presence throughout this postseason.

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