Los Angeles Dodgers Survive in Canada to Set Up Winner-Take-All Game 7 in Fall Classic
The World Series is headed to a decisive seventh game after the Los Angeles Dodgers kept alive their repeat dreams alive on Friday with a three to one win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.
The reigning title holders halted Toronto’s late-game comeback with a dramatic game-ending twin killing, stunning a home crowd that had arrived prepared to cheer the city’s first title in over three decades.
Sixth Game Summary
The Dodgers produced all of their offense in the third inning. With two outs, Ohtani was purposely passed before Smith doubled to left field to bring home Tommy Edman. Freddie Freeman earned a base on balls to fill the bases, and Mookie Betts came through with a two-run single to the opposite field, handing the Dodgers a three-run lead.
That key hit broke a playoff dry spell and revived the title holders' aspirations of being the initial back-to-back championship winners since the New York Yankees won three consecutive from 1998 through 2000.
Mound Duel
Kevin Gausman had been dominant to that stage, striking out half a dozen of the first seven batters he faced. He fanned 8 through three frames, tying a Fall Classic mark, but the third-frame rally proved decisive. The Toronto ace finished with eight strikeouts over six frames, allowing three runs on three safeties and two free passes.
Yamamoto, meanwhile, was steady again under pressure. The 27-year-old right-hander outpitched Gausman for the second occasion in a seven days, giving up a single run on five base 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 resulted from Springer’s two-out base hit in the third, driving in Addison Barger, who had doubled earlier in the inning. Springer’s hit provided a brief spark in his comeback to the lineup after sitting out a pair of contests with an oblique injury.
Bullpen Effort
After that, the Los Angeles relievers carried the load. First-year pitcher Wrobleski escaped a tight spot in the seventh, and another rookie Rōki Sasaki worked into the ninth inning before hitting Alejandro Kirk to start the frame. Addison Barger followed with a double that got stuck under the left-center-field fence, obliging runners to stay at second and third base.
Glasnow, the Dodgers' third game starting pitcher, came on in relief and got a pop fly before Giménez hit a line drive to left field. Hernández made the catch and threw to second to double off the runner, sealing the victory and earning the pitcher his first-ever save.
Looking Ahead: Game 7
The best-of-seven now comes down to a single contest. Scherzer will take the mound for Toronto, becoming the sole active hurler to pitch in multiple World Series Game 7s 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 postseason.
The Los Angeles squad, looking to become baseball’s initial repeat title winners in almost 25 years, are expected to rely on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.