The Blue Jays have the potential to be great. The Dodgers face a bleak future. The Blue Jays’ first championship in 32 years will be decided by Game 6 of World Series. The Dodgers will rely on their best postseason pitcher to try and live another day. We’re answering the biggest storylines and questions – and making predictions – and how things will shake on Friday night. Yamamoto vs. Gausman: Which starting pitcher is favored?Thosar: After pitching back-to-back complete games in the postseason, I don’t see how the answer could be anyone but Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He’s the pitcher that the Dodgers will need to get the World Series past Game 7 – without doubt. The Blue Jays should be worried because Yamamoto improved the last time he pitched. He’s so good at making in-game adjustments that he’s the only Dodgers starter that has thrown off Toronto’s otherwise airtight offensive approach. Rarely do they swing and miss or chase outside the zone, yet Yamamoto racked up eight strikeouts against the Jays.Still, it was unfortunate that Kevin Gausman’s performance got overshadowed by Yamamoto’s in Game 2. He was great until the seventh inning when he allowed Will Smith and Max Muncy to hit solo home runs. Gausman was unbeatable until the seventh inning, when he gave up two solo shots to Will Smith and Max Muncy. I’m still expecting Gausman to be dominant in Game 6, but Yamamoto is just plain better. Kavner: It has to be Yamamoto, who’s coming off back-to-back complete games in the postseason. Since 2001, Curt Schilling was the last pitcher to do that. Dating back to last year’s World Series, Yamamoto has a 1.54 ERA over his last five playoff starts. Gausman was terrific in Game 2 as well, allowing just one run through his first six innings of work before the Dodgers finally caught up to his fastball, but Yamamoto’s on another level right now. He has become their top ace in a rotation of stars this October. What is the Dodgers’ main goal to force Game 7? (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB photos via Getty Images.) Thosar : The offense must not only wake up, but also make an impact. I’m talking about Shohei Ohtani NLCS Game 4 levels of statement. It’s fine if he wants him to be the sole player in the lineup who scores runs again. But it’s going to take an offensive performance like that to give the Dodgers enough confidence that they still have what it takes to win Game 6, and then 7. They’ve scored just four runs in their last 29 innings. Blue Jays beat Dodgers in World Series 29-18. Mookie Betts only has three hits in five games and 23 bats. But it’s not just on him. The entire Dodgers offense needs to hit better to have a chance at extending the series.Kavner: If you’re wondering how the Dodgers, with all their talent, won 93 games and not 103 or 113 or 123 games this year, Game 5 was a perfect encapsulation of the issues that have plagued them all season. The Dodgers’ bullpen is a problem. The defense, especially in the outfield can be prone to lapses. The offense may suddenly become quiet. They must address this last issue. Yamamoto has demonstrated he can carry a team in any given game, but he could use more than the one or two runs of support the Dodgers’ pitching staff have been given the last two games. The Dodgers only scored four runs in the last 28 innings. Blue Jays scored 36 more runs in the postseason than Dodgers despite only playing one extra game. It’s time to change that. What is the key to the Blue Jays winning tonight’s Game 6? (Photo by Erick R. Rasco/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) Thosar – The Blue Jays could win in just six games if the make better adjustments against Yamamoto. Now that they’ve seen him once in the Series, when they were so off-kilter that he forced them to abandon their successful plate discipline, the Jays should have a better idea of what to expect and how to game plan against Yamamoto’s many weapons. What they should do is to follow the same strategy as last time and be aggressive in the first innings, before giving Yamamoto a chance to settle down. They should do the same thing they did against Dodgers’ ace Blake Snell in Game 1. That is, increase his pitching count. In Game 2, the Jays allowed Yamamoto to find his rhythm and complete the game. They’ll have to capitalize with runners on base and be more clutch against him, which, of course, is easier said than done against an intimidatingly deep arsenal like Yamamoto’s.Kavner: Exactly what they did in Los Angeles: Work the Dodgers starter enough that he doesn’t complete seven innings. Get into the Dodgers’ bullpen, and the Blue Jays have to feel good about their chances. That’s obviously easier said than done against Yamamoto, and they failed to do that the last time he pitched in Toronto, but he did have one start against the Phillies this postseason in which he went just four innings, so he’s not indomitable. The Blue Jays have their own issues in the bullpen, but there’s really nowhere for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to comfortably turn in the middle innings once the starter is out, even with all hands on deck. They should be able to win the game if they can remove Yamamoto after six innings (or 6.1, 6.2 or 6.3). What was your World Series MVP of all time? (Photo Luke Hales/Getty Images). Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He has been the impact hitter of the postseason, not just in the World Series. Guerrero’s eight home runs are tied with Ohtani for the most in the playoffs, but his 17 runs scored and 15 RBI lead everyone. Ohtani struck out 22 time in October. You can count the number of times Guerrero failed to score during the postseason on one hand. And he’s not just a powerful presence at the plate. In Game 4, he fired a bullet to third base to cut down the runner, end the inning, and stop the Dodgers’ momentum, helping the Blue Jays tie the Series at 2-2. And when he’s in the dugout, he’s a leader for the team. Guerrero is a leader on and off the pitch. He has always been there for Toronto when it was most needed. Kavner: It’s got to be Guerrero. He’s already broken the franchise record (eight home runs) for all-time postseason, and he did it in this postseason. But his October was far more than just a power show. The only player who’s ever recorded more hits in a single postseason than Guerrero (27) is Randy Arozarena in 2020 (29). Guerrero can set the record in his home country. He’s hitting .415 with a 1.337 OPS. It’s an all-time great run. Keep an eye on Ernie Clement, too, who’s stunningly not that far behind with 25 hits, but the answer’s Vlad. On the Dodgers’ side, if Yamamoto throws another complete game, if Freddie Freeman hits another game-winning homer or if Shohei Ohtani has another record-setting performance, they could all be in the mix if they come back to win. Prediction! Will we have a Game 7? Kavner: Yes. Even if the Dodgers’ offense doesn’t break out of its funk — and, boy, it’s a real problem right now — Yamamoto has shown he doesn’t need much support to come out on top. He tends to rise to the occasion, especially in the biggest spots, and there’s none bigger than this. Thosar: Yes. I think Yamamoto is on a generational run right now, and the Blue Jays weren’t even close to ambushing him in Game 2. His mental toughness is too strong to be overcome, even if they have a good game plan. It sure looks like we’re headed toward the four best words in baseball: World Series Game 7.Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He covered the L.A. Dodgers and Dallas Cowboys before. Rowan is an LSU graduate who was born and raised in California. He moved to Texas as a child, but returned to the West Coast when he graduated in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She was a Mets beat reporter at the New York Daily News. Deesha is the daughter of Indian migrants. She grew on Long Island, and now lives Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Sign up for a FOX Sports account or login to your existing one to follow teams, leagues and players. 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2025-10-31 16:29:57
World Series Top Questions: Blue Jays Close it Out? Dodgers Force a Game 7?
