TORONTO — A sudden and dramatic game-ending double play by the Los Angeles Dodgers set up Game 7 in the World Series with the possibility of more excitement.
The Dodgers produced a three-run third inning in Game 6 on Friday, then held thanks to the twin killing for a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.
The decisive game of the best-of-seven series will be played Saturday in Toronto.
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 to second baseman Miguel Rojas doubled Addison Barger off second base.
“It’s a tough read,” Toronto manager John Schneider said. “(Hernandez is) playing shallow and one out, you’re thinking score. He made a really good play. It’s such a tweener. He made a good play, good throw. Good play by Rojas, too. Wild. Wild way to finish it, for sure.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Hernandez, “(He) just gets great jumps. “He is one of my favorite baseball players to watch. He’s one of the headiest baseball players I’ve ever been around. And even just getting off on the ball, the awareness to get to his arm, get the ball into second base.
“He’s just a heck of a baseball player. … Heck of a baseball player, heck of a play.”
Tyler Glasnow, Los Angeles’ 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.
Ahead of the game, Betts was bumped down to the cleanup spot in the batting order for the first time since 2017.
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 threw complete games in his two previous starts, allowed one run, five hits and one walk in six innings. He fanned six.
“In my mind, I was ready for another inning, but my job, the most important part was to protect our lead and then pass it to the guys coming behind me,” Yamamoto said.
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.
“Lodged ball is two bases no matter where the runner is,” Schneider said.
Roberts said, “(Sasaki) gets to 0-2 on Kirk and hits him with a split, and then Barger gets a fastball, a good piece of hitting. From that point on, for me, I just felt that Roki wasn’t as sharp, and I just felt we needed some swing-and-miss, and Glasnow was the guy. So I had him loose, kind of looming.”
Glasnow replaced Sasaki and got a popout from Clement before inducing the dramatic line-drive double play, pushing the series to the max.
“(Enrique Hernandez) made a really good play, really good read on that ball,” Smith said. “He was playing a little shallower just because of the situation. Barger probably got a little giddy and wanted to score a tying run. Miggy made one heck of a pick. That was awesome.”
–Larry Millson, Field Level Media
