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This year's World Series is going to a decisive Game 7 following the Dodgers kept their title defense hopes intact Friday night with a three to one win over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions halted Toronto’s late-game comeback with a dramatic final double play, stunning a Rogers Centre crowd that had come ready to celebrate the team's first title in over three decades.

Game 6 Recap

The Dodgers generated all of their scoring in the third inning. With two away, Ohtani was intentionally walked before Will Smith doubled to left to bring home Tommy Edman. Freeman earned a base on balls to load the bases, and Betts came through with a two-RBI hit to the opposite field, handing the Dodgers a three-run lead.

Betts’ hit snapped a playoff dry spell and rekindled the defending champions’ aspirations of being the initial back-to-back World Series victors since the New York Yankees won three consecutive from 1998 through 2000.

Mound Duel

Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that point, striking out half a dozen of the initial seven Dodgers he faced. He struck out 8 through three frames, tying a World Series mark, but the third-frame rally proved decisive. The Blue Jays' star finished with eight strikeouts over six frames, allowing three earned runs on three hits and two walks.

Yamamoto, in contrast, was steady again under stress. The righty outdueled his counterpart for the second occasion in a week, giving up a single 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 only run against him came on George Springer two-out base hit in the third inning, driving in Addison Barger, who had hit a double earlier in the inning. Springer’s hit provided a brief spark in his return to the lineup after missing two games with an side strain.

Relief Heroics

After that, the Los Angeles relievers took over. First-year pitcher Justin Wrobleski got out of a jam in the seventh, and another rookie Rōki Sasaki pitched into the ninth inning before plunking Kirk to start the inning. Barger followed with a double that got stuck under the left-center-field fence, forcing runners to hold at second and third.

Glasnow, Los Angeles’ third game starter, came on in a relief role and got a pop fly before Andrés Giménez hit a line drive to left field. Enrique Hernández made the catch and fired to second base to double off the runner, clinching the win and earning the pitcher his first-ever save.

Looking Ahead: Seventh Game

The best-of-seven now comes down to a single contest. Max Scherzer will take the mound for the Blue Jays, becoming the only living pitcher to start multiple seventh games of the World Series after doing so in the 2019 season with Washington. The 40-year-old inked a one-year deal to chase another championship and has been a outspoken presence throughout this postseason.

The Los Angeles squad, aiming to be the sport's first back-to-back champions in nearly a quarter-century, are expected to lean on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.