In what could possibly be the last MLB game of the year, Game 6 of the World Series is set for Friday between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays. The Blue Jays won two straight games in LA after going down 2-1. They now have a chance to close out the series at home.
It will not be easy with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound for the Dodgers, who has thrown two straight complete games in these playoffs. Luckily, the Blue Jays have a good pitcher on the mound themselves in Kevin Gausman, who pitched well in Game 2, despite the Dodgers taking that game thanks to a complete game shutout from Yamamoto.
World Series Props Picks for Friday Night
First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET with FOX still on the call. Below, we detail our favorite World Series props for Game 6 of the World Series.
| World Series Props Picks | Odds |
| Kevin Gausman Under 4.5 Strikeouts | +125 on DraftKings |
| Yoshinobu Yamamoto Over 6.5 Strikeouts | +108 on FanDuel |
Fade Gausman Strikeouts
While Gausman did go over his strikeout prop the first time he pitched against the Dodgers in these playoffs, the under is the way to go here. Since it has been a long playoff run for the Blue Jays, this will be Gausman’s fifth start in these playoffs. He has gone over this number twice and under twice, averaging exactly 4.5 strikeouts per game.
So, from a value perspective alone, getting something at +125 odds that has a 50/50 hit rate would be considered positive expected value, but obviously things are not quite that simple. This is a play trusting the Dodgers bats, who had a tough game last time out in Game 5. That was against Trey Yesavage, who was simply unhittable in that game and struck out 12 Dodgers.
The two starting pitchers prior to that (Shane Bieber and Max Scherzer) each recorded three strikeouts in their starts. Gausman has also not nearly had the same strikeout stuff this postseason compared to the regular season.
His strikeout rate was 24.4% in the regular season but has dropped to 18.9% in the playoffs. That is not a complete shock considering the level of competition rises in the playoffs, but this is a Dodgers team that has a below-average strikeout rate in general, so we'll trust them to show up tonight.
Yamamoto Stays Hot, Fans Seven Blue Jays
On the opposite side of the mound, we are taking the opposite play and backing Yamamoto to stay hot in Game 6. He has been downright fantastic in these playoffs, striking out seven or more batters in three of four starts so far. He has managed 8+ Ks in two of those starts, including Game 2 of this series when he went the full nine innings, allowing only one hit and striking out eight Blue Jays.
As low of a strikeout team the Blue Jays are, as the old baseball adage goes, good pitching beats good hitting, and going deep into games certainly increases the chances of racking up the strikeouts. We just saw Blake Snell get to seven strikeouts last game, and that was a game where he let up five earned runs on six hits and four walks.
While it is unlikely that Yamamoto can pitch a third straight complete game, he should be counted on to pitch 7+ innings, only needing to average one strikeout per inning if he manages to do so. With a K/9 of 10.42 this year and 10.50 last year, we will trust that Yamamoto is able to accomplish both of those things to get us to 7+ strikeouts.