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The World Series is going to a final Game 7 after the Los Angeles Dodgers kept their repeat hopes alive Friday night with a three to one victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The reigning title holders ended Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a dramatic final twin killing, silencing a home crowd that had arrived prepared to celebrate the city’s championship in over three decades.

Sixth Game Recap

The Dodgers produced all of their scoring in the third frame. With two away, Ohtani was intentionally walked before Will Smith doubled to left field to score Tommy Edman. Freeman drew a walk to load the bases, and Mookie Betts delivered with a two-RBI hit to left, handing the Dodgers a three-run lead.

Betts’ hit broke a playoff dry spell and rekindled the defending champions’ aspirations of becoming the initial back-to-back championship winners since the Yankees captured three straight from 1998 through 2000.

Pitching Battle

Kevin Gausman had been dominant to that point, striking out six of the initial seven batters he faced. He fanned 8 through three innings, tying a World Series mark, but the third-inning barrage proved decisive. The Toronto ace ended with 8 Ks over six innings, yielding three runs on three safeties and two free passes.

Yamamoto, meanwhile, was steady again under pressure. The righty outpitched his counterpart for the second occasion in a seven days, giving up one run on five hits over six frames with six Ks. He boosted his record to four wins and one loss this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him came on George Springer two-out single in the third, scoring Addison Barger, who had hit a double earlier in the inning. Springer’s hit provided a momentary lift in his comeback to the starting nine after sitting out two games with an oblique injury.

Bullpen Effort

After that, the Los Angeles relievers took over. First-year pitcher Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh, and fellow rookie Rōki Sasaki pitched into the ninth before hitting Alejandro Kirk to open the inning. Addison Barger then hit a two-base hit that became wedged under the left-center-field fence, forcing base runners to hold at second and third.

Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers' Game 3 starter, came on in a relief role and got a pop fly before Andrés Giménez lined to left field. Enrique Hernández made the catch and fired to second to double off the runner, sealing the win and earning the pitcher his first career successful save.

Next Up: Game 7

The series now boils down to one game. Scherzer will take the mound for the Blue Jays, becoming the only living pitcher to start multiple seventh games of the World Series after doing so in 2019 with the Nationals. The 40-year-old signed a one-year deal to chase another championship 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 almost 25 years, are expected to lean on Shohei Ohtani for a brief appearance.