Dodgers force World Series to deciding Game 7 by holding off Blue Jays 3-1 as Yamamoto wins again

TORONTO (AP) — A two-run lead was starting to slip away from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the ninth inning — along with their chance to force the World Series to Game 7.

And then Kiké Hernández turned what might have been a tying, two-run single by Andrés Giménez into the first game-ending left field-to-second base double play in postseason history.

“The crazy thing is I had no idea where the ball was because it was in the lights the whole time,” Hernández said after preserving a 3-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6 on Friday night.

Instead of getting a World Series-winning, three-run homer like the one Joe Carter hit off Philadelphia's Mitch Williams to capture the title in Game 6 in 1993, the Blue Jays were pushed to Game 7 and the Dodgers kept alive their chance to become the first repeat champion since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees.

Max Scherzer will start Game 7 for Toronto against a Dodgers pitcher still to be determined — perhaps two-way star Shohei Ohtani, perhaps Tyler Glasnow. The October Classic will end in November for the 10th time.

“It’s the two best words in sports: Game 7," Toronto manager John Schneider said.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto beat Toronto for the second time in a week by allowing one run in six innings, and slumping Mookie Betts hit a two-run single in a three-run third against Kevin Gausman that included Will Smith's go-ahead double.

George Springer, back after missing two games with a sore right side, hit an RBI single in the bottom half, and the Dodgers held that 3-1 lead going to the ninth.

Roki Sasaki hit Alejandro Kirk on the left wrist with an 0-2 splitter leading off and Addison Barger followed with a drive that landed at the base of the left-center wall. In a seldom-seen rarity, the ball lodged there instead of caroming back into play.

Both runners crossed the plate as many in the Rogers Centre crowd initially thought Toronto had tied the game, but the rule book is clear that a ball lodged in a fence is a ground-rule double. The runners were placed at second and third, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts brought in Glasnow, who was lined up to start Game 7 on normal rest.

“I just felt that Roki wasn’t as sharp, and I just felt we needed some swing-and-miss and Glasnow was the guy. So I had him loose, kind of looming,” Roberts said.

Glasnow escaped with just three pitches, earning the first save of the Series.

Ernie Clement popped up his initial offering to first base. Giménez took a ball and hit the next 247 feet to the opposite field, in short left.

Hernández said he decided to play more shallow than the Dodgers' scouting card called for. He ran 52 feet and while on the run made a catch that had only a 40% probability, then delivered a one-hop throw to second baseman Miguel Rojas that doubled up Barger.

“For a split second as Glasnow threw the ball, the crowd got quiet and I was able to hear that the bat broke,” Hernández said. “So I just got a really good jump on the ball and I came in and halfway there, the ball got in the lights. And I was just like, not the right time to stop to see where the ball is, just keep going.

“It’s going to hit me in the face — but I’m not stopping,” Hernández remembered thinking. "I’m not pulling up. And at the very end, the ball came out of the lights and went into my glove.”

Barger had gotten about halfway to third before scrambling back, and he reached second base too late with his headfirst slide.

“I was being too aggressive, trying to score, try to tie that game if that ball drops," Barger said.

Even after the umpire signaled out, players had to wait 60 seconds for the call to be upheld by the replay room in New York.

Rojas had been inserted into the lineup for his first start since Oct. 6 in an effort by Roberts to spark the Dodgers' offense, which is batting .191 after winning with just four hits.

“Pretty epic ending there," Rojas said.

Yamamoto was not quite as sharp as in his Game 2 four-hitter, the first World Series complete game in a decade. Rookie reliever Justin Wrobleski struck out Giménez to strand a runner at second in the seventh and Sasaki got out of a two-on, one-out jam in the eighth when Bo Bichette fouled out and Daulton Varsho grounded out.

Then came the first game-ending double play in World Series history in which an outfielder had a putout or assist, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

“Man, we live for Game 7, so here we go,” Roberts said.

Yamamoto, winner of three MVP awards in Japan, improved to 4-1 with a 1.56 ERA in five postseason starts and has a 1.20 ERA in his two Series outings.

Tommy Edman doubled with one out in the third for the Dodgers’ first hit. Ohtani was intentionally walked for the fifth time in the Series and Smith hit an RBI double off the left-field wall on a high splitter. Freddie Freeman walked, bringing up Betts.

With Los Angeles seeking its third title in six seasons, Roberts dropped the slumping Betts from second to third in the batting order in Game 5 and then to fourth in Game 6 — the lowest Betts had hit since 2017.

Betts fell behind 1-2 in the count, 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 Series.

“He could hit me seventh, I don’t care. I just want to win," said Betts, already a three-time champion. “Whatever we do, however we get there, I’ll jump on whoever’s back to go. We all get a ring, that’s all I care about.”

Scherzer and Glasnow started Game 3, won by the Dodgers 6-5 in 18 innings. A 41-year-old right-hander, Scherzer will become the fourth pitcher to start multiple World Series winner-take-all Game 7s after Bob Gibson (1964, ’67, ’68), Lew Burdette and Don Larsen (both 1957 and ’58). Scherzer allowed two runs over five innings for Washington against Houston in 2019, and the Nationals rallied for a 6-2 win.

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Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts leaps into the arms of Kiké Hernández (8) after Toronto Blue Jays' Addison Barger, right, was forced out to end Game 6 of baseball's World Series, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts (50) leaps into the arms of Kiké Hernández (8) as Miguel Rojas, left, pumps his fist after Toronto Blue Jays' Addison Barger, right, was forced out to end Game 6 of baseball's World Series, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Miguel Rojas (72) celebrates with shortstop Mookie Betts (50) and left fielder Enrique Hernández (8) after forcing out Toronto Blue Jays' Addison Barger (47) to end the game during ninth inning Game 6 World Series playoff MLB baseball action in Toronto on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto Blue Jays' Alejandro Kirk reacts after being hit by a pitch during the ninth inning in Game 6 of baseball's World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Toronto, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts (50) leaps into the arms of Kiké Hernández (8) after Toronto Blue Jays' Addison Barger, right, was forced out to end Game 6 of baseball's World Series, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer (4) hits an RBI single against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning in Game 6 of baseball's World Series in Toronto on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani celebrates his double off Toronto Blue Jays' pitcher Mason Fluharty during the eighth inning in Game 6 of baseball's World Series, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers' Mookie Betts follows through on his two run base hit against the Toronto Blue Jays during the third inning in Game 6 of baseball's World Series, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto smiles after the sixth inning in Game 6 of baseball's World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto gestures during the fourth inning in Game 6 of baseball's World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025, in Toronto. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — An ailing astronaut returned to Earth with three others on Thursday, ending their space station mission more than a month early in NASA’s first medical evacuation.

SpaceX guided the capsule to a middle-of-the-night splashdown in the Pacific near San Diego, less than 11 hours after the astronauts exited the International Space Station.

“It’s so good to be home,” said NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, the capsule commander.

It was an unexpected finish to a mission that began in August and left the orbiting lab with only one American and two Russians on board. NASA and SpaceX said they would try to move up the launch of a fresh crew of four; liftoff is currently targeted for mid-February.

Cardman and NASA’s Mike Fincke were joined on the return by Japan’s Kimiya Yui and Russia’s Oleg Platonov. Officials have refused to identify the astronaut who had the health problem or explain what happened, citing medical privacy.

While the astronaut was stable in orbit, NASA wanted them back on Earth as soon as possible to receive proper care and diagnostic testing. The entry and splashdown required no special changes or accommodations, officials said, and the recovery ship had its usual allotment of medical experts on board. It was not immediately known when the astronauts would fly from California to their home base in Houston. Platonov’s return to Moscow was also unclear.

NASA stressed repeatedly over the past week that this was not an emergency. The astronaut fell sick or was injured on Jan. 7, prompting NASA to call off the next day’s spacewalk by Cardman and Fincke, and ultimately resulting in the early return. It was the first time NASA cut short a spaceflight for medical reasons. The Russians had done so decades ago.

The space station has gotten by with three astronauts before, sometimes even with just two. NASA said it will be unable to perform a spacewalk, even for an emergency, until the arrival of the next crew, which has two Americans, one French and one Russian astronaut.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov is helped out of the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship SHANNON after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui is helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

NASA astronaut Mike Fincke is helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

NASA astronaut Zena Cardman is helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows the NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 capsule being taken into the recovery vessel after crew members re entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows NASA astronaut Mike Fincke getting helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows NASA Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui being helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows Russian astronaut Oleg Platonov being helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, left, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui are seen inside the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship SHANNON shortly after having landed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Long Beach, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows NASA astronaut Zena Cardman being helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This screengrab from video provided by NASA TV shows the SpaceX Dragon departing from the International Space Station shortly after undocking with four NASA Crew-11 members inside on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This photo provided by NASA shows clockwise from bottom left are, NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui gathering for a crew portrait wearing their Dragon pressure suits during a suit verification check inside the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows recovery vessels approaching the NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 capsule to evacuate one of the crew members after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows the NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 members re entering the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows the NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 members re entering the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)