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This year's World Series is headed to a decisive Game 7 following the Los Angeles Dodgers kept alive their title defense hopes intact Friday night with a three to one victory over the Blue Jays in Game 6.

The defending champions ended Toronto’s ninth-inning rally with a thrilling game-ending twin killing, silencing a home crowd that had come ready to cheer the city’s first title in over three decades.

Game 6 Recap

The Dodgers generated all of their offense in the third frame. With two away, Shohei Ohtani was purposely passed before Will Smith doubled to left to score Edman. Freeman drew a walk to load the bases, and Mookie Betts came through with a two-RBI hit to left, handing the Dodgers a three-run lead.

That key hit snapped a postseason slump and rekindled the defending champions’ hopes of becoming the initial back-to-back World Series victors since the New York Yankees won three consecutive from 1998 to 2000.

Pitching Duel

Gausman had been nearly unhittable to that stage, striking out half a dozen of the first seven Dodgers he faced. He struck out 8 through three frames, matching a Fall Classic mark, but the third-inning barrage proved decisive. The Blue Jays' star finished with eight strikeouts over six innings, allowing three runs on three safeties and two free passes.

Yamamoto, meanwhile, was solid again under stress. The 27-year-old right-hander outpitched Gausman for the second occasion in a week, allowing one run on five base hits over six frames with six Ks. He boosted his record to four wins and one loss this postseason with a 1.56 ERA.

The lone score against him resulted from Springer’s two-out single in the third, scoring Addison Barger, who had hit a double earlier in the inning. Springer’s hit offered a momentary lift in his comeback to the lineup after sitting out a pair of contests with an side strain.

Relief Effort

From there, the Los Angeles relievers carried the load. Rookie Justin Wrobleski escaped a jam in the seventh, and fellow rookie Sasaki worked into the ninth before plunking Kirk to open the inning. Barger followed with a double that got stuck under the outfield wall, obliging base runners to stay at second and third.

Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers' Game 3 starting pitcher, entered in relief and got a pop fly before Andrés Giménez hit a line drive to left. Enrique Hernández made the catch and fired to second base to double off Barger, sealing the win and earning the pitcher his first career successful save.

Looking Ahead: Game 7

The series now boils down to one game. Max Scherzer will start for the Blue Jays, making him the sole active hurler to pitch in more than one World Series Game 7s after doing so in the 2019 season with the Nationals. The veteran inked a one-year deal to chase another championship and has been a outspoken presence throughout this postseason.

The Dodgers, aiming to become the sport's first back-to-back title winners in almost 25 years, are expected to rely on Shohei Ohtani for a brief appearance.