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This year's World Series is going to a final Game 7 after the Los Angeles Dodgers kept their title defense hopes intact on Friday with a 3–1 win over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The reigning title holders ended Toronto’s late-game comeback with a dramatic final double play, silencing a home audience that had arrived prepared to celebrate the city’s first title in over three decades.

Game 6 Recap

The Dodgers produced all of their offense in the third inning. With two outs, Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked before Will Smith hit a two-bagger to left to score Edman. Freeman drew a walk to load the bases, and Betts delivered with a two-RBI hit to left, giving the Dodgers a three-run lead.

That key hit broke a postseason slump and revived the defending champions’ aspirations of becoming the first repeat championship winners since the Yankees won three consecutive from 1998 through 2000.

Mound Duel

Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that point, striking out six of the first seven Dodgers he confronted. He struck out eight through three innings, matching a World Series record, but the third-inning barrage proved costly. The Blue Jays' star ended with eight strikeouts over six frames, allowing three earned runs on three safeties and two walks.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in contrast, was solid again under stress. The righty outpitched Gausman for the second occasion in a week, allowing one run on five hits over six frames with six strikeouts. He improved to four wins and one loss this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him came on George Springer two-out base hit in the third inning, scoring Barger, who had hit a double previously in the frame. Springer’s hit provided a momentary lift in his return to the lineup after missing a pair of contests with an oblique injury.

Relief Heroics

From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen took over. First-year pitcher Justin Wrobleski escaped a tight spot in the seventh, and fellow rookie Sasaki pitched into the ninth inning before hitting Kirk to start the inning. Barger followed with a two-base hit that became wedged under the outfield wall, forcing base runners to hold at second and third base.

Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles’ Game 3 starter, came on in relief 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 giving Glasnow his first-ever save.

Next Up: Game 7

The best-of-seven now boils down to a single contest. Scherzer will start for Toronto, becoming the sole active hurler to start more than one World Series Game 7s after accomplishing that in 2019 with the Nationals. The 40-year-old signed a single-season contract to pursue another championship and has been a outspoken presence throughout this playoff run.

The Dodgers, aiming to be baseball’s first back-to-back champions in almost 25 years, are projected to lean on their two-way star for a short outing.