LA Dodgers Survive in Toronto to Force Decisive Game 7 in World Series

The World Series is going to a final Game 7 after the Dodgers kept their repeat dreams alive Friday night with a 3–1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The reigning title holders ended Toronto’s late-game comeback with a dramatic final twin killing, silencing a home audience that had come ready to celebrate the city’s championship in over three decades.

Sixth Game Summary

Los Angeles generated all of their offense in the third frame. With two away, Shohei Ohtani was purposely passed before Smith doubled to left field to score Tommy Edman. Freddie Freeman drew a walk to load the bases, and Mookie Betts delivered with a two-run single to the opposite field, handing the Dodgers a three-run advantage.

Betts’ hit snapped a playoff dry spell and rekindled the title holders' aspirations of becoming the initial back-to-back championship winners since the New York Yankees captured three consecutive from 1998 to 2000.

Pitching Battle

Kevin Gausman had been dominant to that stage, striking out six of the first seven Dodgers he confronted. He struck out 8 through three innings, tying a World Series mark, but the third-frame rally proved decisive. The Toronto ace ended with eight strikeouts over six innings, allowing three runs on three safeties and two walks.

Yamamoto, meanwhile, was solid again under pressure. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled his counterpart for the second occasion in a week, giving up one run on five hits over six frames with six strikeouts. He improved to 4–1 this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him came on George Springer two-out single in the third, scoring Barger, who had hit a double previously in the frame. Springer’s hit offered a brief spark in his return to the starting nine after sitting out a pair of contests with an side strain.

Relief Effort

From there, the Los Angeles relievers carried the load. Rookie Wrobleski escaped a tight spot in the seventh, and another rookie Rōki Sasaki pitched into the ninth inning before hitting Alejandro Kirk to open the inning. Addison Barger then hit a double that became wedged under the left-center-field fence, forcing base runners to stay at second and third base.

Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers' third game starter, came on in a relief role and induced a popout before Andrés Giménez lined to left field. Hernández made the catch and fired to second base to retire the runner, sealing the win and earning Glasnow his first-ever save.

Next Up: Game 7

The series now boils down to one game. Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, becoming the sole active hurler to pitch in multiple seventh games of the World Series after doing so in 2019 with Washington. The veteran inked a single-season contract to chase one more title and has been a vocal leader throughout this postseason.

The Los Angeles squad, aiming to become baseball’s first back-to-back title winners in nearly a quarter-century, are projected to lean on Shohei Ohtani for a brief appearance.

Ethan Cannon
Ethan Cannon

Tech strategist and writer with over a decade of experience in digital transformation and startup ecosystems.