Dodgers Beat Blue Jays 3-1, Force World Series Game 7/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ The Los Angeles Dodgers held off a late Blue Jays rally to win Game 6 of the World Series, 3-1, and force a decisive Game 7. Kiké Hernández’s dramatic game-ending double play preserved the win after a near-tie in the ninth inning. Yoshinobu Yamamoto earned his second Series win with another dominant start.
Dodgers Force Game 7 Quick Looks
- Dodgers defeat Blue Jays 3-1 in World Series Game 6
- Kiké Hernández seals win with historic double play
- Yamamoto allows one run over six strong innings
- Dodgers eye back-to-back championships, first since Yankees (1998-2000)
- Scherzer to start Game 7 for Toronto
- Game 7 starter for Dodgers still undetermined (Ohtani or Glasnow)
- Betts ends slump with two-run single in third
- Dodgers won despite just four hits, batting .191 in Series
- Glasnow earns save, exits Game 7 start plan early
- First outfield-to-second game-ending DP in postseason history
Deep Look
Dodgers Force Game 7 with 3-1 Victory Over Blue Jays Behind Yamamoto and Hernández Heroics
Facing elimination in Game 6 of the World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers delivered a gritty, high-stakes performance Friday night in Toronto, edging the Blue Jays 3-1 and forcing a winner-take-all Game 7. A standout outing by Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a clutch hit from Mookie Betts, and a historic game-ending double play by Kiké Hernández combined to keep the Dodgers’ championship hopes alive.
The Blue Jays were threatening to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth when Hernández made one of the most memorable plays in World Series history. With runners on second and third and one out, Andrés Giménez lined a ball into shallow left. Running in, Hernández—who had lost the ball in the stadium lights—made a difficult catch on the move. Then, without hesitating, he fired a one-hop throw to second baseman Miguel Rojas, doubling off Addison Barger, who had strayed too far toward third.
The play was confirmed after a brief video review, and the Dodgers erupted, having pulled off the first game-ending left-field-to-second-base double play in postseason history.
“I had no idea where the ball was—it was in the lights,” Hernández said. “I just kept running and hoped it would hit me. At the last second, I saw it and caught it. That’s when instinct took over.”
The stunning double play capped a tense finish for the Dodgers, who nearly saw their two-run lead vanish. Toronto’s Alejandro Kirk was hit by a pitch to start the inning, and Barger followed with a drive that became a ground-rule double after it lodged at the base of the outfield wall. Both runners initially scored, and the home crowd erupted—until umpires enforced the rule and sent the runners back to second and third.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, sensing momentum slipping away, brought in Tyler Glasnow—originally scheduled to start Game 7—who needed just three pitches to escape the jam. He retired Ernie Clement on a pop-up and got Giménez on the liner that ended the game.
“I just felt we needed swing-and-miss stuff right there, and Glasnow was our best option,” Roberts said. “We’ll figure out Game 7.”
Game 7 starter for the Dodgers remains unannounced, but it could be Glasnow again, or two-way star Shohei Ohtani. The Blue Jays will counter with veteran Max Scherzer, who looks to make history with his second World Series Game 7 start. The 41-year-old previously started and won the decisive Game 7 for the Nationals in 2019.
Yamamoto’s Masterclass Continues
Yoshinobu Yamamoto was again brilliant in Game 6, earning his second win of the Series. The Japanese right-hander allowed one run over six innings, improving his postseason ERA to 1.56 and continuing his stellar debut MLB season. After a complete-game win in Game 2, he anchored the Dodgers’ effort once more, helping hold a dangerous Blue Jays lineup in check.
Rookie reliever Justin Wrobleski and young star Roki Sasaki combined to navigate through the seventh and eighth, with Sasaki escaping a two-on, one-out situation before yielding to Glasnow in the ninth.
Betts Comes Through at Last
Offensively, the Dodgers made the most of limited chances. They managed just four hits but capitalized in the third inning. After a Tommy Edman double and intentional walk to Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith doubled in the go-ahead run. Betts followed with a two-run single, snapping a prolonged slump and giving Los Angeles the 3-0 lead it would never relinquish.
Moved down to fourth in the lineup—his lowest spot since 2017—Betts delivered under pressure.
“He could hit me seventh, I don’t care. I just want to win,” said the three-time champion. “We all get a ring, that’s all I care about.”
George Springer, returning from injury, drove in Toronto’s lone run with a single in the third, but the Blue Jays couldn’t break through further.
What’s Next: Winner-Take-All Game 7
Game 7 looms with everything on the line. For the Dodgers, it’s a shot at their third championship in six years and a chance to become the first back-to-back World Series winners since the Yankees dynasty of the late 1990s. For Toronto, it’s a chance to capture their first title since 1993.
Scherzer, who allowed two runs over five innings in Game 3, will start for the Blue Jays. He joins an elite group of pitchers to start multiple Game 7s in World Series history, including Bob Gibson and Don Larsen. If the Dodgers choose Glasnow again, it would be his second appearance in three days. Ohtani remains a wild card, potentially pitching in relief or even starting, depending on how Roberts decides to navigate the high-stakes finale.
With the Series tied at 3-3, fans now await the two most electrifying words in sports: Game Seven.
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