The Los Angeles Dodgers refused to bow out quietly, defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 on Friday night to push the World Series to a dramatic Game 7. With the win, the defending champions kept alive their dream of becoming Major League Baseball’s first back-to-back winners in 25 years.
Facing elimination for the first time this postseason, the Dodgers relied on their ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who delivered six strong innings, striking out six and allowing just one run on five hits. Mookie Betts and Will Smith provided the key offense, driving in all three of Los Angeles’ runs.
The tension reached its peak in the ninth inning when Toronto appeared to have tied the game on a bizarre play. A ball hit deep into the outfield got stuck under the fence, prompting Dodgers outfielder Justin Dean to raise his hands to signal the play dead. After a video review, umpires ruled it a ground rule double instead of an inside-the-park home run — a call that changed the course of the inning.
With runners on second and third and no outs, the Blue Jays had a golden chance to level the score. But a pop-up from Ernie Clement, a sharp lineout from Andres Gimenez, and a double play started by Kike Hernandez sealed the Dodgers’ crucial win.
Earlier in the game, Los Angeles took control in the third inning. Will Smith doubled to bring in the first run, and Betts followed with a two-RBI single, giving the Dodgers a 3-0 lead. Toronto responded in the bottom half of the inning as Addison Barger doubled and scored on a George Springer single, cutting the deficit to 3-1.
Despite their bullpen struggles this season, the Dodgers held firm in the final innings. Roki Sasaki shut down a late Toronto rally in the eighth by striking out Bo Bichette and forcing a groundout from Daulton Varsho.
The game also saw an unexpected interruption in the sixth inning when a fan carrying a U.S. flag ran onto the field before being quickly tackled by security.
The win delayed celebrations across Canada, where fans were ready to mark what could have been the Blue Jays’ first World Series title in 32 years. Instead, both teams will now battle it out one final time in Saturday’s Game 7 in Toronto — a winner-takes-all clash for baseball glory.
