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This year's World Series is headed to a final seventh game following the Dodgers kept alive their repeat hopes alive on Friday with a 3–1 win over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions halted Toronto’s late-game comeback with a thrilling final twin killing, stunning a Rogers Centre crowd that had come ready to cheer the team's first title in 32 years.

Sixth Game Recap

The Dodgers produced all of their offense in the third frame. With two away, Ohtani was purposely passed before Will Smith doubled to left field to bring home Tommy Edman. Freeman drew a walk to fill the bases, and Mookie Betts came through with a two-run single to the opposite field, handing the Dodgers a three-run advantage.

That key hit broke a playoff dry spell and rekindled the title holders' hopes of becoming the initial back-to-back championship winners since the Yankees captured three straight from 1998 to 2000.

Mound Battle

Kevin Gausman had been dominant to that stage, striking out six of the initial seven batters he faced. He struck out 8 through three frames, matching a Fall Classic mark, but the third-frame rally proved decisive. The Toronto ace finished with eight strikeouts over six frames, yielding three runs on three safeties and two walks.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, meanwhile, was solid again under pressure. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled his counterpart for the second occasion in a seven days, allowing one run on five hits over six frames with six Ks. He improved to four wins and one loss 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 Addison Barger, who had hit a double earlier in the inning. That single provided a brief spark in his comeback to the starting nine after missing two games with an oblique injury.

Relief Effort

After that, the Dodgers’ bullpen took over. Rookie Justin Wrobleski escaped a jam in the seventh, and another rookie Rōki Sasaki worked into the ninth inning before hitting Kirk to open the frame. Addison Barger followed with a double that became wedged under the outfield wall, obliging base runners to hold at second and third.

Glasnow, the Dodgers' Game 3 starting pitcher, came on in a relief role and got a pop fly before Andrés Giménez hit a line drive to left. Enrique Hernández made the catch and fired to second base to double off the runner, clinching the win and giving the pitcher his first career save.

Looking Ahead: Seventh Game

The series now boils down to a single contest. Max Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, making him the only living pitcher to start multiple World Series Game 7s after accomplishing that in the 2019 season with the Nationals. The 40-year-old inked a single-season contract to chase one more title and has been a outspoken presence throughout this postseason.

The Dodgers, aiming to be baseball’s initial repeat title winners in almost 25 years, are expected to rely on Shohei Ohtani for a short outing.