Back in Toronto. Here we go guys. The season could come to an end tonight. The Blue Jays are one win away from their third World Series in franchise history and first since 1993. That’s after falling behind
in the series 2-1 and suffering a heart-breaking 18th-inning marathon in Game 3. And to win it in front of the home crowd is something special. The reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers will try to spoil the party and get this series to a winner-take-all Game 7 tomorrow, hoping to be the first team to win back-to-back titles since the late 90’s Yankees. It’s now or never for the team with seemingly bottomless wallets.
Taking the ball for the road team this evening will be ace right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He’s set to make his fifth start this postseason and if the Dodgers get anything resembling his last two times out then they should be in good hands. The $325 million arm has more than earned his paycheck this October and is coming off two complete game shutouts, including against these same Jays in Game 2. He’ll have a chance to join an exclusive club if he does it a third straight time tonight, though the Blue Jays have momentum on their side.
With their backs up against the wall, the Dodgers’ lineup for this must-win game looks like this:
Also, don’t be surprised if we see Shohei Ohtani make a relief appearance, per manager Dave Roberts and himself. Can he put his team on his back one more time? And it most goes without saying, he’s hitting leadoff tonight too.
The Blue Jays, just one win away from history, will counter Yamamoto with their own ace right-hander in Kevin Gausman. This has been the veteran’s first extended postseason run and he’s put together a strong postseason for his team. He was solid enough last time out but seemed to run out of gas later on in his outing. He’ll be emptying the tank so to speak tonight but if he begins running into trouble in the middle innings he might get a quicker hook.
The Blue Jays’ lineup:
As you may notice, George Springer is back in there and at the top of the lineup. It’s a major surprise after the injury he suffered in Game 4 but he seemed like he was planning to play yesterday and that’s now going to happen, with him sliding right back into his spot atop the lineup. The Jays will also have Bo Bichette in the field at second base so the Toronto lineup is about as healthy as one could hope for this time of year.
So does the World Series end tonight? Or will we be treated to another epic Game 7 winner-take-all tomorrow evening? Here we go!
