Toronto (Canada) (AFP) – The Los Angeles Dodgers, fueled by a three-run third inning and another dominant pitching performance from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 on Friday to force a decisive World Series game seven. The defending champion Dodgers had to dig deep to thwart the Blue Jays’ ninth-inning rally bid and knot Major League Baseball’s best-of-seven championship series at three games apiece. They kept their bid for the first title repeat in 25 years alive, while the Blue Jays will be aiming to claim their first title in 32 years when they host game seven on Saturday.
Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow, scheduled to start game seven, stepped in with Blue Jays runners on second and third with no outs in the ninth. He induced a fly out from Ernie Clement before Andres Gimenez hit into a game-ending double play — Dodgers left fielder Enrique Hernandez fielding Gimenez’s line drive and firing the ball to second base, where Miguel Rojas caught Addison Barger for the final out. “That was crazy,” Mookie Betts said of the game-ending double play. “I thought it was a bloop hit and I saw Kike running to catch it and I turned to look and I saw he was halfway. I was screaming ‘two, two, two’ (for throw to second base). But his instincts are so good he probably saw the play himself. That was a sick catch.”
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he had no hesitation in calling on Glasnow after closer Roki Sasaki got into trouble. “This is do or die,” Roberts said. “You’ve got to leave it all out there and pick up the pieces. Right there I just felt Roki wasn’t as sharp and I felt right there Glas was a guy who had swing and miss stuff and I just wanted to bet on him.” Glasnow’s appearance in relief, albeit brief, opens the door for two-way star Shohei Ohtani to pitch in game seven. “There’s no wrong answer,” Roberts said. “He’s certainly going to be part of the pitching plan. With Shohei, it could be two innings but it could be four innings. I’m not sure to where we’re going to slot him. We’re going to have to talk to him first to see where he is most comfortable.”
With their backs against the wall, the Dodgers seized the lead in the third inning — finally making the Blue Jays pay for intentionally walking Ohtani. Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman gave up a one-out double to Tommy Edman and with two outs walked Ohtani. Will Smith smacked another double to score Edman, and Betts delivered a hard-hit single to left field that plated another two runs. It was sweet redemption for Betts, who was dropped to fourth in the order after hitting just .130 in the first five games of the series. “I came up in a big spot,” Betts said. “I know a lot goes on but if you keep worrying about that you won’t be prepared for right now. I just found a way to lock in.”
George Springer, back for the Blue Jays after missing two games with a muscle injury in his side, pulled back a run with a single in the bottom of the third. The Blue Jays threatened with two outs in the sixth when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. belted a double to left field. Yamamoto, coming off a dazzling complete-game win in game two, then walked Bo Bichette on seven pitches — his first walk issued in 15-plus innings — but the Japanese ace struck out Daulton Varsho to escape the danger. That pushed Yamamoto’s pitch count to 96, and the Dodgers turned to their bullpen to preserve the lead, Yamamoto departing after giving up one run in six innings with six strikeouts and one walk. “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.
Reliever Justin Wrobleski pitched a scoreless seventh, Sasaki squeaked through a tense bottom of the eighth, and the Blue Jays couldn’t find a way back. “I always like our chances,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “It just didn’t work out tonight. Baseball happens sometimes.”
© 2024 AFP
