TORONTO — The Los Angeles Dodgers produced a three-run third inning on Friday, then held on thanks to a game-ending double play, forcing Game 7 in the World Series with a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Mookie Betts keyed the third-inning rally with a two-run single to help the Dodgers maintain their hopes of becoming the first repeat champions since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees.
The contest ended when Andres Gimenez lined out to left with runners at second and third and one out. Dodgers left fielder Enrique Hernandez’s quick throw doubled Addison Barger off second base.
Tyler Glasnow, Los Angles’ Game 3 starter, got the last three outs for the first save of his major league career.
Toronto starter Kevin Gausman (2-3) struck out six of the Dodgers’ first seven batters before Tommy Edman grounded a double into the right field corner with one out in the third.
With two outs, Shohei Ohtani was intentionally walked before Will Smith lofted an RBI double to the left field corner. Freddie Freeman walked to load the bases, and Betts stroked a two-run single on a grounder to left to give Los Angeles a 3-0 lead.
Gausman struck out eight in the first three innings, tying a World Series record.
Barger sliced a double to left that opened the bottom of the third against Yoshinobu Yamamoto (4-1). He scored on a two-out single to center by George Springer, who missed the two previous games with an injury to his side.
Louis Varland pitched a perfect seventh after replacing Gausman, who allowed three runs, three hits and two walks while striking out eight in six innings.
Yamamoto, who had pitched complete games in his two previous starts, allowed one run, five hits and one walk in six innings. He fanned six. Justin Wrobleski took over and pitched around Ernie Clement’s two-out double in the seventh.
Ohtani doubled against Mason Fluharty with one out in the eighth, and Smith was intentionally walked. After Freeman flied out, Seranthony Dominguez entered and walked Betts to load the bases before Teoscar Hernandez struck out.
Dodgers reliever Roki Sasaki hit Alejandro Kirk with a pitch to lead off the home ninth. Myles Straw ran for Kirk. Barger doubled on a drive to left center that became stuck under the fence. The runners rounded the bases but were returned to second and third.
Glasnow replaced Sasaki and got a popout from Clement before inducing the dramatic line-drive double play, pushing the best-of-seven series to the max.
