Dodgers 3, Blue Jays 1 – World Series Game 6: Yoshinobu Yamamoto comes up big again, and game ends with Enrique Hernandez & Miguel Rojas playing hero

With their backs against the wall and facing elimination in Game 6, the Dodgers gave Yoshinobu Yamamoto the lead early by having their first three-run inning of the World Series. However, that was all they got, so it’s fortunate Yamamoto was again highly effective, and this time then pen managed to pitch three scoreless even if it did end hilariously dramatically with a double play in a 3-1 victory.

Game 7, here we come.

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Last time out, Kevin Gausman was dominant for most of Game 2 before the long ball got him late, or at least that’s what the line says. In reality, he was throwing a ton of fastballs in the middle of the zone and the Dodgers just couldn’t hit any of them, which foreshadowed their struggles in next three games of the series against the Blue Jays.

Today, he started by striking out six of the first seven batters he faced, making a statement right off the bats. Fortunately, that streak ended with one out in the 3rd when Tommy Edman doubled down the line in right. After Miguel Rojas added yet another strikeout, John Schneider intentionally walked Shohei Ohtani to put a pair on, and this time the Dodgers got a timely hit behind Will Smith pulling a ball down the line in left for a double.

That only made it 1-0 after Dino Ebel stopped Ohtani at third for whatever reason. That looked potentially costly with the way they were hitting, but after Freddie Freeman worked a walk to load the bases, Mookie Betts ripped a single to left and plated a pair to make it 3-0.

Ohtani and Gausman did some basketball training behind the plate as well.

Teoscar Hernandez then continued to struggle against Gausman, striking out on three pitches to end the 3rd. That started a streak of seven in a row retired, which got Gausman through the 6th for the Blue Jays.

But hey, at least they got runs and the lead.

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The Dodgers turned to Yoshinobu Yamamoto again after his Game 2 complete game brilliance secured them a victory. What were they asking for an encore? Well, basically for him to throw a shutout this time, too.

In the 1st, he started with an out before Max Muncy whiffed on a grounder from Nathan Lukes that was (eventually) correctly ruled an error. Fortunately, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. didn’t make them pay, as he grounded into a 5-4-3 double play.

Yamamoto followed that with a clean 2nd, but the 3rd started with trouble when Addison Barger swung late and poked a double down the line in left against the shift. Not sure why they called a fastball, but such is life.

After a rather shocking strikeout of Ernie Clement, Rojas made a nice play on an Andres Gimenez grounder for the second out to advance Barger to third, but George Springer singled on a 3-0 cutter to cut the lead to 3-1.

Yamamoto then got Lukes to fly out to end the 3rd, and then faced the minimum in the 4th after striking out Vlad, giving up a single to Bo Bichette, and getting Daulton Varsho to bounce into a double play.

He started the 5th with back-to-back strikeouts before surrendering an infield single to Clement when a grounder bounced off Betts’ glove. However, Gimenez flew out on the next pitch, preventing any rally.

The 6th was a stressful inning for Yamamoto, though it started with a groundout and flyout. However, Vlad doubled and Bichette drew a walk to put a pair on, though Yamamoto did get out of it with a strikeout of Varsho.

Shockingly, that was the end of the road for Yamamoto: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K, 96 Pitches.

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A battle of the pens emerged the rest of the way.

Out of the pen for the Blue Jays was Louis Varland in the 7th, and he started things for them with a 1-2-3 frame. Varland also got the first out of the 8th, which is when Mason Fluharty entered. Ohtani again doubled off him, this time with one hand on his bat, and they walked Will next to put a pair on.

But Freddie followed by flying out, and after Seranthony Dominguez entered and walked Mookie to load the the bases, he threw four balls to Teoscar … who swung at three of them for the strikeout.

Chris Bassitt then closed the book on the Dodgers in the 9th with a clean frame.

Speaking of closing the book, Dave Roberts was searching for three innings from his pen.

To start, it was Justin Wrobleski in the 7th, and he’s always game. He gave up a two-out double, but thanks to Miggy, he also got three extremely valuable outs for the team and kept the Blue Jays off the board.

Dave then turned to Roki Sasaki, surely hoping to get two innings. However, things started unlucky when Springer spun a ball fair past Freddie for a single.

After a flyout followed, it sure seemed like Roki got a strikeout of Vlad, but he didn’t get the call and ended up walking him.

Fortunately, Roki settled in an got a pop-out from Bichette and a groundout from Varsho to end the threat.

With Justin Dean now in center, Roki started the 9th by getting ahead of Alejandro Kirk in the count, 0-2. However, a wild splitter hit him in the forearm and put him on base.

Myles Straw ran for him, and Barger followed by smashing a ground-rule double to center, as it got stuck under the wall and Dean threw up his hands.

This was an easy call, though people made it complicated.

With Roki laboring, Tyler Glasnow entered out of the pen.

He got a first-pitch pop-up from Clement to start things off right, and then Gimenez lined a ball to shallow left, but Enrique Hernandez was positioned perfectly and made a running catch. No idea what Barger was doing, but he was caught off second and Rojas picked it to secure Game 7.

What a win.

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Weird stuff happens in the playoffs, man.

Shout out to the Blue Jays pen for this Alex Vesia tribute. Class act.

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Oh boy, the World Series is now tied at 3-3, and Game 7 … well, it’s Game 7. Brace yourself.

Same two teams, same place, same time (2:00 PM HT/5:00 PM PT/8:00 PM ET), and same network (FOX) as today. It’ll be … well, I don’t know what the pitching plans are for either team, but it could be messy. On paper, it lines up for Shohei Ohtani to start on short rest against Max Scherzer, but it could be anything.

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"A highly rational Internet troll." - Los Angeles Times