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The championship series is headed to a decisive Game 7 following the Los Angeles Dodgers kept their title defense hopes intact on Friday with a three to one win over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions halted Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a thrilling game-ending twin killing, stunning a Rogers Centre audience that had come ready to celebrate the city’s championship in over three decades.

Game 6 Recap

Los Angeles generated all of their scoring in the third frame. With two away, Shohei Ohtani was purposely passed before Smith doubled to left field to score Edman. Freddie Freeman drew a walk to fill the bases, and Mookie Betts came through with a two-RBI hit to left, handing the Dodgers a 3–0 lead.

That key hit broke a playoff dry spell and revived the title holders' aspirations of being the initial back-to-back championship winners since the New York Yankees won three consecutive from 1998 through 2000.

Mound Duel

Kevin Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that stage, fanning half a dozen of the first seven batters he confronted. He struck out eight through three frames, tying a World Series record, but the third-frame rally proved decisive. The Blue Jays' star finished with eight strikeouts over six frames, yielding three earned runs on three hits and two free passes.

Yamamoto, in contrast, was steady again under stress. The righty outpitched Gausman for the second occasion in a seven days, allowing a single run on five base hits over six innings with six Ks. He improved to 4–1 this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him came on George Springer two-out single 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 missing a pair of contests with an oblique injury.

Relief Heroics

From there, the Los Angeles relievers carried the load. First-year pitcher Wrobleski escaped a jam in the seventh, and another rookie Rōki Sasaki pitched into the ninth before plunking Kirk to open the inning. Barger followed with a double that got stuck under the outfield wall, forcing base runners to hold at second and third base.

Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles’ Game 3 starting pitcher, came on in a relief role and induced a pop fly before Andrés Giménez lined to left. Enrique Hernández made the catch and threw to second to double off Barger, clinching the victory and earning Glasnow his first-ever save.

Looking Ahead: Game 7

The series now comes down to one game. Scherzer will take the mound for Toronto, becoming the sole active hurler to pitch in multiple World Series Game 7s after accomplishing that in the 2019 season with the Nationals. The 40-year-old inked a single-season contract to pursue one more title and has been a outspoken presence throughout this postseason.

The Los Angeles squad, aiming to become the sport's first back-to-back champions in nearly a quarter-century, are expected to rely on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.