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The World Series is going to a final Game 7 following the Los Angeles Dodgers kept alive their title defense dreams alive Friday night with a three to one win over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The reigning title holders ended Toronto’s late-game comeback with a thrilling game-ending double play, silencing a Rogers Centre audience that had come ready to celebrate the team's first title in 32 years.

Game 6 Recap

The Dodgers produced all of their offense in the third frame. With two away, Ohtani was purposely passed before Will Smith hit a two-bagger to left field to score Tommy Edman. Freddie 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 3–0 advantage.

That key hit broke a playoff dry spell and rekindled the title holders' hopes of being the initial back-to-back World Series victors since the New York Yankees won three consecutive from 1998 to 2000.

Pitching Battle

Kevin Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that point, fanning half a dozen of the initial seven batters he faced. He fanned eight through three frames, matching a World Series record, but the third-frame rally proved decisive. The Blue Jays' star ended with 8 Ks over six frames, yielding three earned runs on three hits and two free passes.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, meanwhile, was solid again under pressure. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled Gausman for the second time in a seven days, allowing one run on five hits over six innings with six strikeouts. He improved to four wins and one loss this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him came on George Springer two-out single in the third, driving in Barger, who had hit a double previously in the frame. Springer’s hit provided a momentary lift in his return to the lineup after missing two games with an side strain.

Bullpen Effort

From there, the Los Angeles relievers took over. Rookie Justin Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh inning, and fellow rookie Rōki Sasaki worked into the ninth inning before hitting Alejandro Kirk to start the inning. Addison Barger then hit a two-base hit that became wedged under the left-center-field fence, forcing base runners to stay at second and third.

Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers' third game starter, came on in relief and induced a pop fly before Giménez lined to left. Enrique Hernández made the catch and threw to second to retire Barger, clinching the victory and giving Glasnow his first career successful save.

Looking Ahead: Seventh Game

The best-of-seven now comes down to a single contest. Max Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, becoming the sole active hurler to start more than one seventh games of the World Series after accomplishing that in 2019 with the Nationals. The veteran inked a single-season contract to chase one more title and has been a vocal leader throughout this playoff run.

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