Game 6 of the World Series has special resonance for Blue Jays fans.
In Game 6 in 1992, it was Dave Winfield’s two-run double in the top of the 11th at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium that gave the Jays the go-ahead as they clinched their franchise-first World Series championship.
And in Game 6 in 1993, as we’ve seen on repeat quite a bit of late, it was Joe Carter’s walk-off blast against the Phillies that sealed their second consecutive crown.
So is Game 6 title time for Toronto once again? Or are the Dodgers going to extend this World Series to a decisive seventh game?
We’ll find out Friday night, when the building now known as Rogers Centre hosts its second World Series Game 6 and the largely Canadian crowd roots for another emphatic ending.
“I can’t wait,” said Toronto skipper John Schneider, “to see what the Rogers Centre is going to look, feel, and sound like.”
If the Dodgers are going to pull themselves off the mat in this one, they’ve got the right guy for the job. Yoshinobu Yamamoto was a marvel in Game 2, tossing his second consecutive complete game in this postseason and holding the ample Blue Jays offense to a single run. So as bad as things went for the Dodgers in Games 4 and 5, they feel pretty good about their chances of getting Game 6 started off right.
But the Blue Jays just put on an impressive display of depth and resilience at Dodger Stadium, shaking off a heartbreaking 18-inning defeat in Game 3 with two well-rounded, convincing victories that quieted the L.A. crowd and rewrote the narrative of this World Series. And they’ve got the heart and soul of their rotation going in Game 6 in the form of Kevin Gausman.
History says that teams breaking a 2-2 tie on the road in a best-of-seven with the 2-3-2 format before going back home have won the series 74.1% of the time. So the pressure is on the Dodgers’ bats, which have been held to a .201/.296/.354 slash line in this World Series.
“At the end of the day, regardless of who we run out there or what construct, we still got to take good at-bats, all of us,” manager Dave Roberts said. “And so that’s what I’m betting on.”
Coming off a last-place finish in the AL East in 2024, little was expected of this Toronto team coming into the year, and, even after winning the East, no one could know what to expect of them in October, given that the current core had yet to win a playoff game.
But with their power, patience and perseverance, the Jays are one win away from ripping the trophy out of the defending champs’ hands. We’ll see if the Dodgers let it go.
When is the game and how can I watch it?
Game 6 is on Friday at Rogers Centre, with first pitch scheduled for 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on FOX.
All series are available in the US on MLB.TV with authentication to a participating Pay TV provider. Games also are available live internationally, although not in Canada. Sportsnet is MLB’s exclusive English language broadcaster in Canada for every Postseason game, while TVA Sports will be covering the entire AL Postseason and the World Series in French and Broadcaster RDS will cover the entire NL Postseason in French.
Who are the starting pitchers?
Blue Jays: RHP Kevin Gausman (10-11, 3.59 ERA)
It’s the ace on the mound with a shot at the World Series. Sure, facing Yamamoto is as tough as it gets in the big leagues, but the Blue Jays couldn’t have drawn up their pitching plans any better, from Gausman right through to the bullpen. In Game 2 against the Dodgers, Gausman allowed solo shots to Will Smith and Max Muncy in the seventh inning of that loss, but he was otherwise at the top of his game through 6 2/3 innings. If Gausman can dodge that one big mistake, he’s a pitcher capable of going toe-to-toe with the great Yamamoto. His splitter also has a much different movement profile from Trey Yesavage’s, diving down instead of tailing, so there won’t be much overlap for the Dodgers’ hitters.
Dodgers: RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-8, 2.49 ERA)
Can he go the distance in three in a row? That would be unprecedented in this era of the game, but then again, tossing complete games in back-to-back postseason starts hadn’t been done in 24 years before Yamamoto’s gems in the NLCS and World Series. Yamamoto has reliably been at his best while on the biggest stage, holding opponents to two earned runs or fewer in six of his eight career postseason starts. The Dodgers couldn’t hope for anyone better on the mound with their season on the line.
What are the starting lineups?
Blue Jays: This all depends on George Springer, who left Game 3 with right side discomfort and was held out of Games 4 and 5. He took some swings in the cage off the pitching machine Wednesday in L.A., which is encouraging, but his status heading into Game 6 is still very questionable. If Springer is out, expect the Blue Jays to go back to Nathan Lukes atop the lineup with the righty Yamamoto on the mound.
Dodgers: Shuffling the order in Game 5 didn’t have the intended effect, as the Dodgers only mustered up one run on four hits. While manager Dave Roberts has discussed trying to get Miguel Rojas into the starting lineup, it would probably require moving Tommy Edman to center field. The team does not seem inclined to play him for nine innings in the outfield, especially not on turf.
How will the bullpens line up after the starters?
Blue Jays: Thanks to Trey Yesavage’s brilliant performance in Game 5, the Blue Jays have their bullpen in a great spot heading into Game 6. Seranthony Domínguez and Jeff Hoffman handled an inning each, but with Thursday’s off-day, John Schneider should have the entire bullpen to work with in the potential clincher. How the Blue Jays match up against Shohei Ohtani with their bullpen moves is still a storyline that could determine this series, but their back-end arms and the surprise emergence of Chris Bassitt as a legitimate weapon leave this group in a great place. In the bullpen, the advantage belongs to Toronto.
Any injuries of note?
Blue Jays: Springer left Game 3 with “right side tightness” and was left out of the Game 5 lineup, but he did run on the field prior to the game and took swings in the cages off the machine. He is expected to continue his rehab on the off-day, then give it another go ahead of Game 6. Even if Springer doesn’t start, he could be a pinch-hit or pinch-run option.
Bichette’s left knee sprain had been looming over this team, but he was finally activated for the World Series and has played in parts of each game. With Springer out, Bichette has a natural home as the DH, which makes it likelier that his bat can stay in the lineup for the entire game.
Dodgers: Will Smith, who is dealing with a hairline fracture in his right hand, returned to the starting lineup during the NLDS and hasn’t missed a start since. Tommy Edman continues to manage his right ankle, which landed him on the injured list twice this year. While he played five innings in center in Game 3, Edman is not expected to play the outfield unless it’s necessary. Reliever Tanner Scott was not included on the World Series roster as he continues to recover from a lower body abscess procedure.
Who is hot and who is not?
Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. launched his eighth home run of the postseason in Game 5, part of a remarkable start that saw both he and Davis Schneider homer off the first three pitches that Blake Snell threw. It won’t be nearly as easy against Yamamoto, but the Blue Jays have to feel great about how this lineup stacks up, even without Springer. Addison Barger’s emergence deserves more attention as another two-hit game has his average up to .346 while Alejandro Kirk and the red-hot Ernie Clement continue to roll. All this series has been missing is a trademark moment from Bichette. Even though he’s far from 100%, he’s too talented a hitter to count out and his ability to adjust could make him a great matchup for Yamamoto.
Dodgers: “Hot” is a relative descriptor for this team, which has been limited offensively since the NL Wild Card Series. Teoscar Hernández had two of the Dodgers’ four hits in Game 5 and is batting .286 overall. Otherwise, only two Dodgers have an OPS above .800 since the beginning of the NLDS: Ohtani (1.500) and Freeman (.872). Andy Pages, who’s hitting .080 overall, was left out of the starting lineup for the first time this postseason in Game 5.
Anything else fans might want to know?
• Only three pitchers have thrown three consecutive complete games in a single postseason in the last 55 years: Curt Schilling (2001), Orel Hershiser (1988) and Luis Tiant (1975).
• Ohtani tied Corey Seager’s franchise record set in 2020 for the most homers in a single postseason with his eighth in Game 3.
