LA Dodgers Survive in Toronto to Force Decisive Game 7 in World Series
This year's championship series is going to a decisive seventh game after the Dodgers kept alive their repeat dreams intact Friday night with a three to one win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6.
The defending champions halted Torontoâs late-game comeback with a thrilling final twin killing, stunning a home audience that had come ready to celebrate the team's first title in 32 years.
Game 6 Summary
The Dodgers produced all of their scoring in the third frame. With two away, Ohtani was intentionally walked before Will Smith hit a two-bagger to left to score Edman. Freddie Freeman earned a base on balls to fill the bases, and Mookie Betts came through with a two-run single to left, handing the Dodgers a three-run advantage.
That key hit snapped a postseason slump and revived the title holders' hopes of becoming the initial back-to-back World Series winners since the Yankees captured three consecutive from 1998 through 2000.
Pitching Battle
Gausman had been dominant to that point, striking out six of the first seven Dodgers he confronted. He fanned 8 through three innings, tying a World Series mark, but the third-inning barrage proved costly. The Blue Jays' star ended with 8 Ks over six frames, yielding three runs on three hits and two walks.
Yamamoto, meanwhile, was steady again under stress. The righty outpitched Gausman for the second time in a week, allowing one run on five base hits over six innings with six Ks. He improved to 4â1 this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.
The only run against him came on Springerâs two-out base hit in the third, driving in Barger, who had hit a double earlier in the inning. That single offered a momentary lift in his comeback to the lineup after missing a pair of contests with an side strain.
Relief Effort
After that, the Dodgersâ bullpen took over. First-year pitcher Wrobleski escaped a jam in the seventh, and another rookie RĆki Sasaki pitched into the ninth before plunking Alejandro Kirk to open the inning. Addison Barger followed with a two-base hit that became wedged under the outfield wall, obliging runners to hold at second and third base.
Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers' Game 3 starter, came on in a relief role and induced a popout before Andrés Giménez lined to left field. Hernåndez caught the ball and threw to second to double off Barger, clinching the win and earning Glasnow his first-ever save.
Looking Ahead: Seventh Game
The best-of-seven now boils down to one game. Max Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, making him the sole active hurler to start multiple World Series Game 7s after accomplishing that in the 2019 season with Washington. The 40-year-old inked a single-season contract to chase another championship and has been a vocal leader throughout this playoff run.
The Los Angeles squad, looking to be the sport's first back-to-back champions in almost 25 years, are projected to lean on Shohei Ohtani for a brief appearance.