LA Dodgers Hold On in Toronto to Set Up Winner-Take-All Game 7 in Fall Classic

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

The defending champions halted Toronto’s late-game comeback with a dramatic game-ending twin killing, stunning a Rogers Centre crowd that had arrived prepared to cheer the city’s first title in over three decades.

Sixth Game Recap

Los Angeles generated all of their offense in the third frame. With two outs, Ohtani was purposely passed before Will Smith doubled to left field to bring home Edman. Freeman earned a base on balls to fill the bases, and Mookie Betts delivered with a two-run single to left, giving the Dodgers a 3–0 lead.

Betts’ hit snapped a playoff dry spell and revived the title holders' aspirations of being the first repeat World Series winners since the Yankees captured three consecutive from 1998 through 2000.

Mound Duel

Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that stage, fanning half a dozen of the first seven Dodgers he faced. He struck out eight through three innings, tying a Fall Classic record, but the third-inning barrage proved decisive. The Toronto ace ended with 8 Ks over six innings, allowing three earned runs on three hits and two free passes.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, meanwhile, was steady again under pressure. The 27-year-old right-hander outpitched Gausman for the second time in a week, giving up a single run on five hits over six innings with six strikeouts. He boosted his record to four wins and one loss this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him came on Springer’s two-out single in the third, scoring Barger, who had doubled earlier in the inning. That single provided a momentary lift in his comeback to the starting nine after sitting out two games with an side strain.

Relief Heroics

After that, the Los Angeles relievers took over. First-year pitcher Wrobleski escaped a jam in the seventh inning, and another rookie RĹŤki Sasaki worked into the ninth inning before plunking Kirk to open the frame. Barger then hit a double that got stuck under the left-center-field fence, forcing base runners to stay at second and third base.

Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles’ Game 3 starter, entered in relief and got a pop fly before Giménez lined to left field. Enrique Hernández caught the ball and threw to second base to retire Barger, clinching the win and earning the pitcher his first-ever successful save.

Looking Ahead: Seventh Game

The series now boils down to one game. Max Scherzer will take the mound for Toronto, becoming the sole active hurler to start multiple seventh games of the World Series after accomplishing that in the 2019 season with Washington. The 40-year-old inked a one-year deal to pursue another championship and has been a vocal leader throughout this playoff run.

The Dodgers, aiming to be the sport's first back-to-back title winners in nearly a quarter-century, are expected to lean on their two-way star for a brief appearance.

Karen Schaefer
Karen Schaefer

A passionate gamer and tech enthusiast with over a decade of experience in esports and game development.