TORONTO — Yoshinobu Yamamoto beat Toronto for the second time in every 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 evening to drive the World Collection to a decisive Sport 7.
Yamamoto was not fairly as sharp as in his Sport 2 four-hitter, the primary World Collection full sport in a decade. He lasted six innings and allowed an RBI single within the third by George Springer, who returned after lacking two video games with an harm to his proper facet.
Rookie relievers Justin Wrobleski and Roki Sasaki mixed for six outs earlier than starter Tyler Glasnow got here out of the bullpen to flee a ninth-inning jam and rescue the Dodgers.
Glasnow wanted solely three pitches to do it. With runners on second and third and no one out, he received Ernie Clement to pop up his first supply on the infield for a simple out. Andrés Giménez then hit a line drive to left discipline that Kiké Hernández become a game-ending double play.
Hernández caught the ball on the run in shallow left-center and fired to second base, the place Miguel Rojas made a troublesome decide of a one-hop throw to double off Addison Barger.
“I used to be enjoying somewhat extra shallow than the cardboard needed me to. However given the scenario, actually quick man at second base, I used to be like, what? I’m going to play actually, actually shallow. If he hits it over my head, kudos to him. I really feel like his pop is extra to the pull facet,” Hernández mentioned.
“By some means I used to be in a position to hear that the bat broke even with that crowd. The loopy factor is I had no concept the place the ball was as a result of it was within the lights the entire time. However given the scenario within the sport, the World Collection on the road and the way good I used to be hitting tonight, I used to be like, it’s going to hit me within the face — however I’m not stopping. I’m not pulling up. And on the very finish, the ball got here out of the lights and went into my glove.”
It was the primary 7-4 game-ending double play in postseason historical past, based on the Elias Sports activities Bureau.
“I gave him a extremely exhausting throw to catch. I feel it was a greater decide than it was a play on my finish,” Hernández mentioned.
Sasaki plunked Alejandro Kirk with an 0-2 pitch to start the inning, and Barger hit a ground-rule double to left-center that received wedged on the backside of the wall.
That’s when Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts summoned Glasnow.
“I simply felt proper there, Roki wasn’t as sharp and I felt proper there, Glas is a man who has swing-and-miss stuff and I simply needed to wager on him,” Roberts mentioned. “He’s been chomping on the bit to make an affect.”
Max Scherzer will begin Sport 7 on Saturday evening for the Blue Jays. The three-time Cy Younger Award winner additionally began the final World Collection Sport 7, getting a no-decision when Washington received the 2019 title over Houston.
“These guys are actually good at type of simply turning the web page,” Toronto supervisor John Schneider mentioned. “That may take some time to type of unpack. That’s a wild ending. I really like the best way we performed.”
Glasnow had been lined as much as probably begin for the Dodgers, in search of to turn out to be the primary group to win consecutive titles for the reason that New York Yankees received three straight from 1998-2000. Two-way star Shohei Ohtani additionally may very well be used as an opener.
“I feel proper now, there’s no unsuitable reply,” Roberts mentioned. “He’s actually going to be part of the pitching plan, and with Shohei, it may very well be two innings, nevertheless it may very well be 4 innings. So I’m unsure the place we’re going to fit him. We’re going to have to speak to him first on the place he feels most snug.”
Los Angeles stored alive its bid for a 3rd title in six seasons and its hopes to be acknowledged as a dynasty.
“Man, we reside for Sport 7, so right here we go,” Roberts mentioned.
Yamamoto, a 27-year-old right-hander in his second season with the Dodgers after successful three MVP awards in Japan, was coming off the primary consecutive postseason full video games since 2001.
He allowed one run and 5 hits with six strikeouts and a stroll, stranding two runners within the sixth when he struck out Daulton Varsho with a splitter on his 96th and last pitch. Yamamoto is 4-1 with a 1.56 ERA in 5 postseason begins and has a 1.20 ERA in his two Collection outings.
Kevin Gausman misplaced to Yamamoto for the second time regardless of matching a Collection file by placing out eight within the first three innings behind a dominant splitter.
Tommy Edman doubled with one out within the third for the Dodgers’ first hit. Ohtani was deliberately walked for the fifth time within the Collection and Will Smith hit an RBI double off the left-field wall on a excessive splitter.
Freddie Freeman walked, citing Betts. The three-time World Collection champion entered simply 3 for 23 within the Collection and had been dropped from second to 3rd within the lineup for Sport 5. He was moved down one other slot to cleanup Friday, his lowest within the batting order since 2017.
Behind 1-2 within the rely, Betts fouled off two pitches and laced Gausman’s third straight fastball between shortstop and third for a 3-0 lead. That ended an 0-for-13 stretch with the bases loaded for the Dodgers that dated to the Division Collection.
“Actually, man, I do know it hasn’t been nice for me,” Betts mentioned. “However this 12 months actually hasn’t been nice. I simply need to be there to assist the boys. I got here up in an enormous spot. … I simply was capable of finding a option to lock in.”
Searching for their first World Collection title since 1993, the Blue Jays wore powder blue uniforms at dwelling for the primary time since September after getting wins with them in Video games 4 and 5 in LA.
Toronto scored when Barger doubled to begin the third and got here round on Springer’s two-out single.
Gausman gave up three runs and 6 hits in six innings, getting 15 swings and misses together with his splitter.
Sasaki, a starter turned reliever because the Dodgers tried to shore up their bullpen, escaped a two-on, one-out jam within the eighth by retiring Bo Bichette on a foulout and Varsho on a groundout.
Up subsequent
Scherzer and Glasnow began Sport 3, received by the Dodgers 6-5 in 18 innings. A 41-year-old right-hander, Scherzer will turn out to be the fourth pitcher to begin a number of World Collection winner-take-all Sport 7s after Bob Gibson (1964, ’67, ’68), Lew Burdette and Don Larsen (each 1957 and ’58). Scherzer allowed two runs over 5 innings for Washington towards Houston in 2019, and the Nationals rallied for a 6-2 win.
