Cal Raleigh blasted a home run, Jorge Polanco drove in the winning run with a sixth-inning single, and the 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.
Pitching Dominance on Show
George Springer homered on the opening delivery from Bryce Miller, who then got out of a bases-threatening situation in a 27-pitch first inning. Anthony Santander singled in the second inning for Toronto’s only other hit, and Mariners pitchers set down 23 of the Blue Jays’ final 24 batters. The pitching quartet combined to throw just 100 pitches under two days after the Seattle team needed 209 throws to outlast Detroit over 15 frames.
Key Batting Moments
Raleigh, the major league home run leader with 60, tied the score in the sixth inning with his ninth home run in 14 appearances at the Toronto ballpark. Kevin Gausman had previously kept batters hitless on splitters in the postseason before the homer by Raleigh.
Polanco delivered a go-ahead base hit later in the inning and added an RBI single in the eighth.
“We are a resilient squad, you know, one through nine,” Raleigh stated. “Our pitchers performed today, really, really impressed us. They were outstanding. Especially short rest and the high pitch count the other day.”
Seattle, the AL West titleholder traveled to AL East winner Toronto on Saturday after a 3-2 win at home over the Tigers to claim the Division Series in the most extended decisive contest in Major League Baseball history.
Historic Accomplishments
The Mariners, the only MLB team to never host a World Series game, limited Toronto to just two hits after the Toronto squad had 50 hits and 34 runs in their four-game Division Series against the Yankees. Miller, who earned the win, fanned three and issued three walks in six innings, throwing 72 deliveries. The three relievers each had 1-2-3 innings, with Muñoz securing the save.
“This is going to be a hard-fought series, man,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “Our team will be prepared for it.”
Springer’s 21st postseason home run ended a tie with the Yankees’ Derek Jeter, placing him alone in fifth position on the career list. Raleigh’s homer was his fourth in 15 at-bats against Gausman, who took the loss.
Polanco, the hero of Friday's game, hit a single off Brendon Little to drive in Rodríguez, who was walked by Gausman. Polanco later added another run-scoring hit against Domínguez.
Memorable Game Moments
Eugenio Suárez doubled off the top of the right-field wall in the seventh inning against Louis Varland. The 395-foot drive would have been a homer in half of MLB stadiums, including Seattle.
Toronto outfielder Nathan Lukes exited in the fourth. Lukes bruised his right knee when he fouled a pitch off it in the first inning.
