LA Dodgers Hold On in Canada to Set Up Decisive Game 7 in Fall Classic

This year's championship series is headed to a final Game 7 after the Dodgers kept their repeat hopes intact on Friday with a three to one win over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The reigning title holders halted Toronto’s late-game comeback with a thrilling game-ending twin killing, stunning a home audience that had come ready to celebrate the team's championship in over three decades.

Game 6 Recap

The Dodgers generated all of their scoring in the third inning. With two outs, Shohei Ohtani was purposely passed before Will Smith hit a two-bagger to left to bring home Tommy Edman. Freeman drew a walk to fill the bases, and Betts came through with a two-run single to the opposite field, handing the Dodgers a 3–0 lead.

Betts’ hit snapped a postseason slump and rekindled the title holders' aspirations of becoming the first repeat World Series victors since the Yankees captured three consecutive from 1998 through 2000.

Pitching Battle

Gausman had been dominant to that stage, striking out half a dozen of the first seven Dodgers he faced. He struck out 8 through three innings, matching a Fall Classic record, but the third-frame rally proved costly. The Blue Jays' star finished with eight strikeouts over six innings, allowing three earned runs on three safeties and two free passes.

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

The lone score against him resulted from Springer’s two-out base hit in the third, scoring Addison Barger, who had hit a double previously in the frame. That single offered a brief spark in his comeback to the lineup after sitting out two games with an oblique injury.

Relief Heroics

From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen took over. Rookie Wrobleski escaped a jam in the seventh, and another rookie Sasaki worked into the ninth inning before plunking Kirk to start the frame. Barger followed with a double that got stuck under the outfield wall, forcing runners to stay at second and third base.

Glasnow, the Dodgers' Game 3 starting pitcher, entered in a relief role and induced a pop fly before Andrés Giménez lined to left field. Hernández made the catch and fired to second base to double off the runner, sealing the win and giving the pitcher his first-ever successful save.

Next Up: Seventh Game

The series now comes down to one game. Max Scherzer will take the mound for the Blue Jays, becoming the sole active hurler to start more than one seventh games of the World Series after accomplishing that in 2019 with Washington. The veteran signed a single-season contract to chase one more title and has been a outspoken presence throughout this postseason.

The Los Angeles squad, looking to become the sport's initial repeat title winners in nearly a quarter-century, are expected to lean on their two-way star for a short outing.

Tina Scott
Tina Scott

Elena Voss is a business strategist with over 15 years of experience in global consulting, specializing in digital transformation and market expansion.