The Toronto Blue Jays had an opportunity to win the World Series Friday night, but they could not get it done. They will get one final chance on Saturday to claim the club’s first title in 32 years.
The Los Angeles Dodgers grinded out a 3-1 victory in a tension-packed Game 6 on Friday at Rogers Centre to tie up the World Series 3-3 and force a winner-take-all Game 7.
The defending champions, facing elimination for the first time in this postseason, outlasted the Jays thanks to a hot outing from Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and a three-run third inning, and some luck in the ninth inning.
The Jays had traffic on base and threatened throughout the night – including a weird ground-rule double by Addison Barger in the ninth. But they ultimately left eight men stranded.
Toronto will now rely on Max Scherzer to start Game 7 on Saturday night in Toronto. Everyone on the active roster will be available in that game, confirmed Toronto’s manager John Schneider.
“These guys are really good at kind of just turning the page. That will take a while to kind of unpack. That’s a wild ending. I love the way we played,” said Schneider. “It’s going to be electric here.”
Fans stand for the Canadian national anthem before Game 6 of the 2025 MLB World Series between Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers at Rogers Centre in Toronto.The Globe and Mail
The crowd of 44,710 inside Toronto’s dome bellowed O Canada so loud they drowned out the anthem singer. Many had paid thousands for tickets, hoping to witness history, wanting to experience the same kind of collective effervescence that Joe Carter provided with his game-winning, championship-sealing homer in 1993.
After losing two of three at Dodgers Stadium, LA was not going quietly, the defending champion, also seeking a third title in six years.
Toronto’s veteran starter Kevin Gausman, who walked out in the first inning as usual to Pink Floyd’s Money, was simply that for much of his outing. He punched out eighth batters in the first three innings, including Shohei Ohtani.
But the Dodgers ratcheted up the tension before he could finish out the third, by putting up three runs. Will Smith cracked a double deep into the corner of left field to bring in one, and Mookie Betts singled to score two more.
Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer is nearly hit by a pitch during the eighth inning of Game 6.Mark Blinch/Getty Images
The Jays immediately scratched back one run, as Barger belted a double, and George Springer singled to push him home.
Springer was back in the starting lineup Friday after missing the previous two games following an injury to his right side in Game 3 in L.A. He’d grimaced while swinging during his first at-bat Friday. Hurt but not injured, was how Jays manager described Springer’s gameday state, a player who was also hit by two pitches during this playoff run.
The Jays couldn’t budge the score, and the crowd got antsy.
Gausman lasted through the sixth inning, permitting just those three runs, three hits, two walks, while eight batters.
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Dodgers ace Yamamoto exited the game then also, after allowing five hits, one run, and one walk while fanning six. Yamamoto pitched all nine innings in his last outing, so this seemed like an opportunity for the Jays.
Toronto had gotten to LA’s bullpen before. Ernie Clement dialed up the anticipation inside the stadium in the seventh inning when he doubled off Dodgers reliever Justin Wrobleski. But he was left stranded.
Toronto Blue Jays' Louis Varland pitches in the seventh inning of Game 6.Nick Turchiaro/Reuters
Jays reliever Louis Varland, first out of Toronto’s pen, pitched a clean seventh. Tension intensified in the eighth as Mason Fluharty allowed Ohtani a double, and then intentionally walked Smith. Seranthony Dominguez took the mound and walked another to load the bases, before escaping the jam – striking out Teoscar Hernandez to deny the Dodgers more runs.
Springer and Guerrero raised hopes when they both reached base in the eighth inning. But they didn’t score.
Then came the wild ninth inning. Barger clubbed a ball into left centre field that rolled past centre fielder Justin Dean and wedged in the bottom of the outfield wall. Myles Straw and Barger both ran home, but meanwhile the fielder waved that the lodged ball meant a ground-rule double. Straw and Barger were both sent back.
“It was a tough. I was hoping they didn’t put the arm up, because I think that would have been a live ball if he grabbed it,” said Straw. “But they did the right thing. As an outfielder, you’re supposed to do that. That’s the right call.”
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LA Dodgers' Justin Dean fields a ground-rule double hit by Toronto Blue Jays' Addison Barger during the ninth inning.Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
The fans roared, seeing what it looked like the tying runs crossing the plate for the Jays. But the ball had rolled weirdly into the spot where the wall meets the ground – very rare.
“Been here a long time. I haven’t seen a ball get lodged ever. Just caught a tough break there,” said Schneider. “Barger put a really good swing on that pitch and ultimately ended up second and third with nobody out with guys that make contact and just didn’t get it done. But I thought his at-bat was great. Just kind of didn’t bounce our way there.”
The Dodgers brought one of their starters, Tyler Glasnow, out of the bullpen. The final outs in the bottom of the ninth were crushing too. Andrés Giménez lined out to fielder Kiké Hernández, who was playing shallow. Hernández quickly threw out Barger at second, who’d been leading off for third and tried to dive back to the bag.
Toronto fans were left dazed. Their team will get one final shot to claim the Commissioner’s Trophy on Saturday.
“I’m not gonna say it’s a letdown,” said Straw. “Every single every guy in here is gonna try and give 100 per cent.”