Dodgers force Game 7 on another Yamamoto gem, 3-1

Yoshinobu Yamamoto beat Toronto for the second time in a week, slumping Mookie Betts hit a two-run single in a three-run third inning and the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers held off the Blue Jays 3-1 on Friday night to force the World Series to a decisive Game 7.

Yamamoto was not quite as sharp as in his Game 2 four-hitter, the first World Series complete game in a decade. He lasted six innings and allowed an RBI single in the third by George Springer, who returned after missing two games with an injury to his right side.

Rookie relievers Justin Wrobleski and Roki Sasaki combined for six outs before starter Tyler Glasnow came out of the bullpen to escape a ninth-inning jam and rescue the Dodgers.

Glasnow needed only three pitches to do it. With runners on second and third and nobody out, he got Ernie Clement to pop up his first delivery on the infield for an easy out. Andrés Giménez then hit a line drive to left field that Kiké Hernández turned into a game-ending double play.

Max Scherzer will start Game 7 on Saturday night for the Blue Jays. The three-time Cy Young Award winner also started the last World Series Game 7, getting a no-decision when Washington won the 2019 title over Houston.

Glasnow had been lined up to potentially start for the Dodgers, seeking to become the first team to win consecutive titles since the New York Yankees won three straight from 1998-2000. Two-way star Shohei Ohtani also could be used as an opener.