{"id":347570,"date":"2025-11-01T08:37:25","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T08:37:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/347570\/"},"modified":"2025-11-01T08:37:25","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T08:37:25","slug":"dodgers-keep-season-alive-with-dramatic-world-series-game-6-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/347570\/","title":{"rendered":"Dodgers keep season alive with dramatic World Series Game 6 win"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

TORONTO\u00a0\u2014\u00a0The play that saved the Dodgers<\/a>\u2019 season started with a sound, and a feeling.<\/p>\n

There was a faint crack of a broken bat. A ball that was momentarily lost in the lights. And a player with more postseason experience than anyone else in Dodgers history, making the right read, and the perfect play, at the most critical juncture of the entire year.<\/p>\n

In the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 6 of the World Series on Friday night, the Dodgers were in danger of succumbing to disaster. The two-run lead they\u2019d held for much of the evening was suddenly under threat. <\/p>\n

The Toronto Blue Jays had the tying runs in scoring position with nobody out. The Dodgers had removed closer Roki Sasaki<\/a> to call on potential Game 7 starter Tyler Glasnow<\/a> in emergency relief. And inside a sold-out Rogers Centre, the hopes of an entire nation had turned the scene deafening.<\/p>\n

On each pitch, however, the raucous crowd of 44,710 would briefly quiet down, and collectively hold its breath.<\/p>\n

What happened next could be the defining moment of this World Series. At the very least, it helped seal the Dodgers\u2019 3-1 win<\/a> and force a Game 7 back here on Saturday night.<\/p>\n

Andr\u00e9s Gim\u00e9nez<\/a> hit a one-out line drive to left that was just a little too far off the end of his bat, cracking the lumber as the ball made impact. In the outfield, Kik\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez<\/a> heard the sound, and let instinct take over as he ran to field it.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor a split second, as Glasnow threw the ball, the crowd got quiet,\u201d Hern\u00e1ndez said afterward. \u201cI was able to hear that the bat broke, so I just got a really good jump on the ball. And I came in.\u201d<\/p>\n

By breaking in toward the infield, Hern\u00e1ndez was in perfect position to make the highlight reel play that followed: He caught the ball on the run, despite losing it in the lights ever so briefly; contorted his body to quickly throw to second, having peripherally \u201cfelt\u201d baserunner Addison Barger drift too far off the bag; then delivered a one-hop strike that was cleanly picked off the dirt by teammate Miguel Rojas<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Double play. Game over<\/a>. See you tomorrow night.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

\u201cPretty epic ending there,\u201d Rojas said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was just wild,\u201d Mookie Betts<\/a> added.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe caught it, threw him out, it was kind of crazy,\u201d Glasnow echoed. \u201cLike, there wasn\u2019t enough time to think.\u201d<\/p>\n

Entering Friday night, the Dodgers had nothing but time to think about the position they had put themselves in, coming to Toronto facing elimination after lackluster performances in Games 4<\/a> and 5.<\/p>\n

That latter contest had been one of the longest nights of the Dodgers\u2019 season. And it grew even longer when their flight back to Canada was delayed. First, a faulty engine pump light in the cockpit forced the plane to return to the gate. Then, there was a long wait on the aircraft to be refueled after the initial gas truck broke down.<\/p>\n

At one point, the players \u2014 who fly separately from the coaching staff<\/a> and the rest of the organization\u2019s traveling party \u2014 contemplated staying the night in Los Angeles, and trying to fly out again in the morning.<\/p>\n

But by then, they had already stewed on their Game 5 clunker<\/a> long enough.<\/p>\n

They wanted to get to Toronto, prepare for an off-day workout Thursday, and begin the daunting task of trying to win consecutive games and preserve their repeat-title dreams.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

A look at what happened in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 6 of the World Series.<\/p>\n

\u201cI gave our players an option to not work out today, because of the long series and 18 innings [in Game 3] and the travel and all that stuff,\u201d manager Dave Roberts<\/a> said the next afternoon. \u201cAnd not one guy took the option. So that was pretty exciting for me. It just speaks to where these guys are at. … We\u2019re gonna keep going, and keep fighting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Friday\u2019s fight started with a shift of approach from the Dodgers\u2019 recently scuffling and overly passive offense: Be aggressive, swing often, and don\u2019t live in fear of striking out or making mistakes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you want to do so good, you press, and you start being really careful about your move and about your pitch selection and all that,\u201d Rojas said. \u201cYeah, we have a plan, and we got to execute the plan. But \u2026 I feel like all we have to do is free ourselves up when we go to the plate.\u201d<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t lead to pretty results early. In the first two innings, the Dodgers struck out five times in six straight outs, swung at 22 of Kevin Gausman\u2019s first 32 pitches and whiffed on 12 while fouling off several fastballs he left in the zone.<\/p>\n

Undeterred, the Dodgers kept hacking.<\/p>\n

And in the top of the third, they finally came to life.<\/p>\n

\"Mookie <\/p>\n

Mookie Betts hits a two-run single in the sixth inning of Game 6 of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.<\/p>\n

(Gina Ferazzi \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Tommy Edman<\/a> and Will Smith<\/a> ambushed Gausman for doubles, leading to the night\u2019s opening run. Then, with the bases loaded later in the inning, Betts came up and snapped his three-for-24 slump to start the series.<\/p>\n

After a strong day of work in batting practice Thursday, which Roberts said had Betts\u2019 swing looking as good as it had at any point in this series, the shortstop squared up a fastball from Gausman and sent it screaming through the left side of the infield for a two-run single.<\/p>\n

As he pulled into first base, Betts clapped toward the dugout, then slapped his hands against his thighs in an outburst of relief.<\/p>\n

It marked the first time the Dodgers had scored more than two runs in an inning since Game 4 of the NL Championship Series, and it gave pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto<\/a> an early lead to protect.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt felt great to come through for the boys,\u201d Betts said. \u201cI was able to pull the ball. … Get some pace, some athletic swings.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

The rest of the night was tense.<\/p>\n

The Dodgers wouldn\u2019t score again against Gausman, who completed his six-inning start by retiring the final 10 batters he faced.<\/p>\n

Yamamoto, coming off complete games in his previous two starts<\/a>, gave one run back in the bottom of the third but also limited the damage in his own six-inning outing, finishing with a sixth and final strikeout that stranded two runners on base.<\/p>\n

Roberts rolled the dice in the seventh, turning to rookie left-hander Justin Wrobleski to face the bottom of the Blue Jays\u2019 order. He gave up a two-out double to Ernie Clement, but bounced back by striking out Gim\u00e9nez to retire the side \u2014 and let out a fired-up yell as he walked off the mound.<\/p>\n

Then, as the Dodgers squandered a bases-loaded opportunity in the eighth, Sasaki got ready for a potential six-out save.<\/p>\n

The first three did not come easy, with the right-hander \u2014 pitching for only the second time this series \u2014 having to wiggle out of a two-on jam. Then, in the ninth, he invited more danger, hitting Alejandro Kirk with a two-strike splitter before giving up a scorching line drive that Barger laced to left-center.<\/p>\n

That play would be the first big break of the inning for the Dodgers. The ball was hit so hard, it got wedged in the base of the wall for an automatic double. Defensive replacement Justin Dean was closest to it in center field, but (along with Hern\u00e1ndez) wisely threw his hands up before trying to field it. That helped ensure the umpires recognized the situation. There were still no outs in the inning, but the Blue Jays\u2019 runners were forced to return to second and third.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s probably the first time [in my life I\u2019ve been the one] getting the ball\u201d on such a play, Dean said afterward. \u201cIt\u2019s just something you\u2019re taught from an early age. Like, \u2018Hey, if you see this, throw your hands up.\u2019 … Literally just instincts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two batters later, instincts took over again for Hern\u00e1ndez. After Glasnow entered and got one quick out, he heard Gim\u00e9nez\u2019s bat break on the line drive to left.<\/p>\n

The sound helped Hern\u00e1ndez come in on the ball immediately, but he did have to contend with the lights. Asked if he went into panic mode then, he answered with a laugh: \u201cWhen the World Series is on the line, I was willing to get hit in the face.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eventually, of course, the ball came back into sight. And as soon as Hern\u00e1ndez fielded it, he said he could subconsciously \u201cfeel\u201d that his best play was to second \u2014 where Barger, who had broken toward third on contact in hopes the ball would drop, was frantically trying to scramble back.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just, the play\u2019s in front of you, and you feel the play,\u201d said Hern\u00e1ndez, the veteran utilityman who passed Justin Turner earlier in this Fall Classic for the most postseason games played ever by a Dodger (Friday was his 91st with the team, and 102nd of his career).<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess maybe that comes with playing everywhere. But like, you don\u2019t have to look to get an idea where the runners are. You feel it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The instinct was indeed correct. And with the help of Rojas\u2019 clutch scoop, the out call was confirmed on a video review.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the headiest baseball players I\u2019ve ever been around,\u201d Roberts said of Hern\u00e1ndez.<\/p>\n

1 <\/p>\n

\"Toronto, <\/p>\n

2 <\/p>\n

\"Dodgers <\/p>\n

3 <\/p>\n

\"Dodgers <\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Dodgers left fielder Kik\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez throws to second base to complete a double play after catching a line drive hit by Toronto\u2019s Andr\u00e9s Gim\u00e9nez in the ninth inning of Game 6 of the World Series on Friday. 2.<\/strong> Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, top, celebrates with Kik\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez and second baseman Miguel Rojas after the game-ending double play. 3.<\/strong> Dodgers players (from left) Mookie Betts, Kik\u00e9 Hern\u00e1ndez, center fielder Justin Dean and Miguel Rojas celebrate. (Robert Gauthier \/ Los Angeles Times) <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he hit the ball,\u201d Rojas added. \u201cI thought there wasn\u2019t a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead, the Dodgers poured out of the dugout as Betts leapt into Hern\u00e1ndez\u2018s arms. The noise inside Rogers Centre vanished, and this time for more than a breath. <\/p>\n

Now, the Dodgers will go to Game 7, when Ohtani is expected to start<\/a> on the mound and Glasnow and Blake Snell could help in relief. They will live to see one final day, ensuring (this time, thankfully) that their return flight home was once again delayed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is what we dream of,\u201d Hern\u00e1ndez said. \u201cI think baseball deserves a Game 7,\u201d <\/p>\n

Even if it took a sound, and a feeling, to help make it happen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TORONTO\u00a0\u2014\u00a0The play that saved the Dodgers\u2019 season started with a sound, and a feeling. There was a faint…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":347571,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[1582,276,2442,170572,1910,165172,3688,6539,2961,82923,170573,224,2444,5337,2749,26804,11638,10201,5950,6620],"class_list":{"0":"post-347570","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-california","10":"tag-dodgers","11":"tag-dramatic-world-series-game","12":"tag-game","13":"tag-gausman","14":"tag-inning","15":"tag-kike-hernandez","16":"tag-la","17":"tag-long-night","18":"tag-long-series","19":"tag-los-angeles","20":"tag-los-angeles-times","21":"tag-losangeles","22":"tag-mookie-betts","23":"tag-roberts","24":"tag-roki-sasaki","25":"tag-run","26":"tag-season","27":"tag-time"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115473537906434021","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347570","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=347570"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347570\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/347571"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=347570"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=347570"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=347570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}