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This year's World Series is going to a final Game 7 after the Los Angeles Dodgers kept alive their title defense dreams intact Friday night with a three to one victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.

The reigning title holders ended Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a dramatic game-ending double play, silencing a home audience that had arrived prepared to celebrate the team's championship in 32 years.

Sixth Game Summary

The Dodgers generated all of their scoring in the third inning. With two away, Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked before Smith hit a two-bagger to left field to score Tommy Edman. Freddie Freeman earned a base on balls to fill the bases, and Mookie Betts came through with a two-run single to the opposite field, giving the Dodgers a three-run lead.

That key hit snapped a playoff dry spell and revived the title holders' hopes of being the initial back-to-back championship victors since the Yankees won three straight from 1998 to 2000.

Mound Duel

Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that stage, striking out half a dozen of the initial seven Dodgers he faced. He struck out eight through three frames, tying a World Series mark, but the third-inning barrage proved costly. The Toronto ace finished with eight strikeouts over six innings, yielding three runs on three hits and two walks.

Yamamoto, meanwhile, was steady again under stress. The 27-year-old right-hander outdueled Gausman for the second time in a week, allowing a single run on five base hits over six frames with six strikeouts. He boosted his record to 4–1 this playoffs with a 1.56 ERA.

The only run against him resulted from George Springer two-out base hit in the third inning, scoring Addison Barger, who had doubled earlier in the inning. That single offered a momentary lift in his comeback to the lineup after missing two games with an oblique injury.

Bullpen Effort

From there, the Dodgers’ bullpen took over. First-year pitcher Justin Wrobleski got out of a jam in the seventh inning, and another rookie Sasaki pitched into the ninth inning before plunking Alejandro Kirk to start the frame. Addison Barger then hit a two-base hit that got stuck under the left-center-field fence, obliging runners to stay at second and third.

Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers' Game 3 starter, entered in relief and got a pop fly before Giménez lined to left field. Enrique Hernández caught the ball and threw to second base to double off the runner, clinching the win and giving the pitcher his first-ever successful save.

Looking Ahead: Game 7

The best-of-seven now boils down to a single contest. Scherzer will take the mound for Toronto, becoming the only living pitcher to start multiple seventh games of the World Series after accomplishing that in the 2019 season with Washington. The 40-year-old inked a one-year deal to chase one more title and has been a outspoken presence throughout this playoff run.

The Dodgers, aiming to become the sport's initial repeat champions in nearly a quarter-century, are expected to lean on their two-way star for a short outing.