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

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

Sixth Game Recap

The Dodgers produced all of their scoring in the third frame. With two outs, Shohei Ohtani was purposely passed before Smith doubled to left field to score Tommy Edman. Freddie Freeman earned a base on balls to fill the bases, and Betts came through with a two-run single 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 World Series victors since the New York Yankees won three straight from 1998 to 2000.

Pitching Duel

Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that stage, fanning six of the first seven batters he confronted. He struck out eight through three frames, tying a Fall Classic record, but the third-frame rally proved costly. The Blue Jays' star ended with eight strikeouts over six frames, yielding three runs on three hits and two walks.

Yamamoto, meanwhile, was solid again under pressure. The righty outpitched Gausman for the second occasion in a week, giving up one run on five hits over six innings with six Ks. He boosted his record to 4–1 this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him came on Springer’s two-out single in the third inning, driving in Barger, who had hit a double previously in the frame. That single offered a momentary lift in his return to the lineup after missing two games with an oblique injury.

Bullpen Effort

From there, the Los Angeles relievers took over. Rookie Justin Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh inning, and another rookie Rōki Sasaki worked into the ninth before hitting Kirk to open the inning. Addison Barger followed with a two-base hit that became wedged under the outfield wall, forcing base runners to stay at second and third base.

Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers' third game starter, came on in relief and induced a popout before Andrés Giménez lined to left field. Hernández caught the ball and threw to second base to retire the runner, clinching the win and earning the pitcher his first career save.

Looking Ahead: Seventh Game

The best-of-seven now boils down to a single contest. Max Scherzer will start for Toronto, becoming the only living pitcher to pitch in multiple World Series Game 7s after accomplishing that in 2019 with the Nationals. The 40-year-old signed a one-year deal to pursue another championship and has been a vocal leader throughout this postseason.

The Los Angeles squad, aiming to be the sport's first back-to-back title winners in nearly a quarter-century, are projected to lean on their two-way star for a short outing.