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This year's World Series is headed to a final seventh game following the Los Angeles Dodgers kept alive their repeat dreams alive on Friday with a three to one victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions halted Toronto’s late-game comeback with a dramatic game-ending twin killing, silencing a Rogers Centre audience that had come ready to cheer the city’s championship in over three decades.

Sixth Game Recap

Los Angeles generated all of their scoring in the third inning. With two outs, Ohtani was intentionally walked before Smith doubled to left to score Edman. Freeman earned a base on balls to fill the bases, and Mookie Betts delivered with a two-run single to left, handing the Dodgers a three-run lead.

Betts’ hit broke a playoff dry spell and rekindled the title holders' aspirations of being the first repeat World Series victors since the New York Yankees won three straight from 1998 to 2000.

Pitching Duel

Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that stage, fanning six of the initial seven batters he faced. He struck out 8 through three frames, matching a Fall Classic record, but the third-inning barrage proved decisive. The Toronto ace finished with eight strikeouts over six frames, allowing three earned runs on three safeties and two walks.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, in contrast, was steady again under stress. The righty outdueled his counterpart for the second occasion in a week, allowing one 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 came on Springer’s two-out single in the third inning, driving in Barger, who had hit a double earlier in the inning. That single provided a momentary lift in his return to the lineup after sitting out two games with an oblique injury.

Bullpen Effort

After that, the Dodgers’ bullpen took over. First-year pitcher Justin Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh inning, and fellow rookie Sasaki pitched into the ninth inning before plunking Alejandro Kirk to start the inning. Barger followed with a two-base hit that became wedged under the left-center-field fence, obliging base runners to stay at second and third.

Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers' Game 3 starter, came on in relief and induced a pop fly before Giménez hit a line drive to left field. Hernández made the catch and fired to second to double off Barger, sealing the win and giving Glasnow his first-ever successful save.

Looking Ahead: Game 7

The best-of-seven now boils down to one game. Max Scherzer will take the mound for the Blue Jays, making him the sole active hurler to pitch in more than one seventh games of the World Series after doing so in 2019 with Washington. The veteran signed a one-year deal to pursue another championship and has been a outspoken presence throughout this playoff run.

The Dodgers, looking to be baseball’s first back-to-back title winners in almost 25 years, are expected to rely on Shohei Ohtani for a brief appearance.