LOS ANGELES—The closer climbed the stairs back to the diamond, back for a second inning against the Houston Astros, back to face an opponent who had vanquished him twice in five games. On the brink of elimination, in the sixth game of the World Series, Kenley Jansen refused to relinquish the baseball. And he refused to wilt against Houston, slamming shut the door in a 3-1 victory before 54,128 fans at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday.

The stands will teem with humanity once more on Wednesday, when Game 7 arrives at this ballpark for the first time since the doors were opening in 1962. Could you expect any less? Could you ask for any more? The baseball gods may not answer letters, but they do allow dreams to flourish.

The Dodgers kept theirs alive on Tuesday, 48 hours after enduring an excruciating defeat in Game 5, by playing like the baseball team who ran away with the National League West and bulldozed all the other contenders for the pennant. Humbled for five innings, the offense woke up in time. Chris Taylor helped conquer Astros ace Justin Verlander with a score-tying double in the sixth. Corey Seager then gave the Dodgers the lead with a sacrifice fly. Joc Pederson unleashed his third homer of the series in the seventh.

The offense provided enough cushion to keep the Dodgers alive. Rich Hill allowed one run before exiting with two outs in the fifth. One defeat away from ushering in the offseason, the Dodgers relied upon the strategy that propelled them this far — and the strategy that backfired earlier in this series. At the end of the line was Jansen, who gobbled up six outs without incident.

The three losses to Houston created wounds that lasted beyond the individual game. A blown save by Jansen in Game 2 punctured the bullpen’s veneer of invincibility. A five-out performance by Yu Darvish in Game 3 exposed the relievers to heavy usage. The relievers combusted in Game 5, after Clayton Kershaw failed to uphold seven runs of support.

Along the way, manager Dave Roberts weathered slings and arrows for his in-game decision-making. He followed a process that guided the organization to 104 victories during the regular season, the most since the franchise left Brooklyn, and to breezy series victories to reach the World Series for the first time since 1988. Once there, the Dodgers met an opponent capable of dismantling any strategy. The buttons Roberts pushed did not produce the familiar results.

Hill permitted only one hit on his first turn through the Astros batting order. The reverie ended when Houston outfielder George Springer came up with two outs in the third. Hill allowed a 90-mph fastball to drift over the plate. Springer cranked a solo shot, his fourth homer in six games, over the right-field fence.

It was up to Verlander to protect the lead. Astros manager A.J. Hinch lacked confidence in most of his relievers, after the Dodgers teed off on Ken Giles and Brad Peacock and Chris Devenski at various points in this series.

Verlander allowed a single and nothing else during the first five innings. His fastball sat at 97 mph. His curveballs snapped and his sliders darted.

In the fifth inning, Roberts faced a familiar, painful choice. He had taken out Hill after only four innings in Game 2, rather than letting the Astros hitters face the left-hander for a third time. The decision backfired when Brandon Morrow and Jansen blew a two-run lead in the eighth and ninth.

Now a similar situation arose. Hill gave up a leadoff single to catcher Brian McCann and a double to outfielder Marwin Gonzalez. McCann stopped at third base, where he remained as Hill struck out former Dodger Josh Reddick and Verlander.

Looming in the on-deck circle was Springer. As Hill navigated through traffic, Morrow warmed up. Morrow had appeared in the first five games of this series, and he combusted in Game 5,surrendering four runs on only six pitches. Roberts still believed in him. After intentionally walking Springer, Roberts walked to the mound.

The crowd held its breath as Roberts conferred with Hill. Roberts extended his hand. Hill gave up the baseball, and in essence, responsibility for the evening to his manager. The fans jeered the decision, howling at Roberts as he returned to the dugout. Hill hurled a fleet of cups off the water cooler.

Morrow disarmed Astros third baseman Alex Bregman with a 99-mph fastball. Bregman rolled a grounder into Corey Seager’s glove. The deficit was only one run. Verlander made it feel much larger — until he stumbled at the start of the sixth.

Austin Barnes opened the rally with a leadoff single. Up came Chase Utley, who had just been inserted into the game in a double switch. Hitless all October, Utley allowed a 58-foot breaking ball from Verlander to bounce into his leg. There were pair of runners aboard for Taylor.

Verlander fired a 1-2 fastball at the top of the zone. Taylor swung late, but with enough strength to punch the baseball into right field. It rattled along the way as Barnes scored and Taylor scampered for a double. Seager crushed a slider only to see it fall at the base of the right-field wall for a sacrifice fly.

The lead expanded in the seventh. Pederson walloped a 96-mph fastball from Astros reliever Joe Musgrove. The solo shot cleared the left-field fence. Pederson treated himself to a party rounding the bases, skipping, thumping his chest and pointing at his dugout.