Cal Raleigh blasted a home run, Jorge Polanco delivered the go-ahead run with a sixth-inning single, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 on Sunday evening as they returned to the AL Championship Series for the initial occasion in two dozen years.
Defensive Dominance on Show
George Springer homered on the opening delivery from Bryce Miller, who then got out of a two-on jam in a 27-pitch opening frame. Anthony Santander hit a single in the second for Toronto’s only other hit, and Mariners pitchers set down 23 of the Blue Jays’ final 24 batters. Miller, Gabe Speier, Matt Brash and Andrés Muñoz combined to throw just 100 deliveries less than 48 hours after the Mariners needed 209 throws to outlast Detroit over 15 innings.
Crucial Offensive Plays
Raleigh, the major league home run leader with 60, evened the game in the sixth inning with his ninth homer in 14 appearances at the Toronto ballpark. Kevin Gausman had held batters to 0 for 16 on splitters in the playoffs before the home run by Raleigh.
Polanco hit a go-ahead single later in the inning and added an run-scoring single in the eighth inning.
“We are a resilient squad, as you know, from top to bottom,” Raleigh said. “Our pitchers performed today, really, really impressed us. They were outstanding. Especially short rest and how many pitches they threw the other day.”
AL West champion Seattle traveled to AL East winner Toronto on the prior day after a 3-2 win at home over the Detroit Tigers to win the Division Series in the most extended decisive contest in Major League Baseball history.
Historic Accomplishments
Seattle, the only MLB team to not have hosted a World Series game, limited Toronto to just two hits after the Toronto squad had 50 hits along with 34 runs in their four-game playoff series against the Yankees. Miller, the winner, struck out three and walked three in six innings, throwing 72 deliveries. The bullpen trio each had 1-2-3 innings, with Muñoz securing the save.
“This is going to be a hard-fought series, for sure,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider commented. “These guys will be ready for it.”
Springer’s 21st postseason home run ended a tie with the Derek Jeter of the Yankees, placing him alone in fifth position on the all-time list. Raleigh's home run was his fourth in 15 at-bats against Kevin Gausman, who suffered the defeat.
Polanco, who had the game-ending single Friday, singled against Brendon Little to bring home Rodríguez, who was walked by the pitcher. Polanco added another RBI single against Seranthony Domínguez.
Notable Game Highlights
Eugenio Suárez hit a double against the top of the right-field fence in the seventh inning against Varland. The 395-foot hit would have been a home run in half of MLB stadiums, Seattle’s field included.
Blue Jays outfielder Nathan Lukes left in the fourth inning. Lukes bruised his right knee when he fouled a ball into his knee in the first inning.
