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This year's World Series is headed to a decisive seventh game after the Los Angeles Dodgers kept alive their title defense dreams intact on Friday with a 3–1 win over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions ended Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a dramatic game-ending twin killing, stunning a Rogers Centre audience that had arrived prepared to cheer the city’s championship in 32 years.

Sixth Game Recap

The Dodgers generated all of their scoring in the third inning. With two outs, Shohei Ohtani was purposely passed before Will Smith doubled to left to bring home Tommy Edman. Freeman earned a base on balls to load the bases, and Mookie Betts delivered with a two-run single to left, handing the Dodgers a three-run lead.

That key hit snapped a postseason slump and rekindled the title holders' aspirations of becoming the initial back-to-back World Series winners since the New York Yankees won three consecutive from 1998 through 2000.

Pitching Battle

Kevin Gausman had been dominant to that point, fanning half a dozen of the first seven batters he confronted. He fanned 8 through three innings, matching a Fall Classic mark, but the third-inning barrage proved decisive. The Toronto ace finished with 8 Ks over six innings, allowing three earned runs on three safeties and two walks.

Yamamoto, meanwhile, was steady again under stress. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled his counterpart for the second occasion in a seven days, allowing a single run on five hits over six innings with six Ks. He boosted his record to four wins and one loss this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him came on George Springer two-out single in the third inning, scoring Addison Barger, who had doubled earlier in the inning. That single provided a brief spark in his comeback to the lineup after sitting out two games with an oblique injury.

Relief Effort

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

Glasnow, the Dodgers' third game starter, came on in relief and got a pop fly before Andrés Giménez lined to left field. Hernández caught the ball and fired to second base to double off Barger, sealing the victory and giving Glasnow his first career successful save.

Next Up: Game 7

The best-of-seven now comes down to a single contest. Max Scherzer will start for Toronto, making him the sole active hurler to pitch in multiple World Series Game 7s after doing so in the 2019 season with the Nationals. The veteran inked a single-season contract to pursue another championship and has been a outspoken presence throughout this postseason.

The Dodgers, aiming to become the sport's first back-to-back champions in almost 25 years, are projected to lean on their two-way star for a brief appearance.