Los Angeles Dodgers Hold On in Canada to Force Winner-Take-All Game 7 in Fall Classic

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

The reigning title holders halted Toronto’s late-game comeback with a dramatic game-ending twin killing, silencing a home audience that had come ready to celebrate the city’s first title in over three decades.

Sixth Game Summary

Los Angeles produced all of their offense in the third frame. With two outs, Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked before Will Smith doubled to left field to score Edman. Freddie Freeman drew a walk to load the bases, and Mookie Betts came through with a two-run single to the opposite field, giving the Dodgers a three-run lead.

Betts’ hit broke a postseason slump and revived the defending champions’ aspirations of being the initial back-to-back World Series victors since the New York Yankees won three straight from 1998 to 2000.

Mound Duel

Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that point, striking out six of the first seven Dodgers he confronted. He struck out 8 through three innings, matching a World Series mark, but the third-inning barrage proved decisive. The Toronto ace finished with 8 Ks over six innings, yielding three earned runs on three hits and two walks.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, meanwhile, was solid again under stress. The 27-year-old right-hander outpitched Gausman for the second occasion in a seven days, allowing a single run on five base hits over six frames with six strikeouts. He improved to 4–1 this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him resulted from George Springer two-out single in the third, driving in Barger, who had hit a double earlier in the inning. That single offered a momentary lift in his return to the lineup after sitting out a pair of contests with an side strain.

Bullpen Heroics

From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen took over. First-year pitcher Justin Wrobleski got out of a tight spot in the seventh, and fellow rookie Rōki Sasaki worked into the ninth before plunking Kirk to start the inning. Addison Barger then hit a double that got stuck under the left-center-field fence, forcing base runners to stay at second and third base.

Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles’ Game 3 starting pitcher, came on in relief and induced a pop fly before Andrés Giménez lined to left field. Enrique Hernández made the catch and fired to second to double off the runner, clinching the victory and earning Glasnow his first career save.

Looking Ahead: Game 7

The series now boils down to one game. Max Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, becoming the only living pitcher to start multiple World Series Game 7s after doing so in the 2019 season with the Nationals. The 40-year-old signed a one-year deal to pursue another championship and has been a vocal leader throughout this playoff run.

The Los Angeles squad, aiming to be baseball’s first back-to-back title winners in nearly a quarter-century, are projected to lean on their two-way star for a short outing.

Alan Mccarthy
Alan Mccarthy

Elara Vance is a seasoned betting analyst with over a decade of experience in sports and casino gaming strategies.