Cal Raleigh homered, Jorge Polanco delivered the go-ahead run with a sixth-inning single, and the Mariners overcame the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 on Sunday evening as they returned to the AL Championship Series for the first time in two dozen years.
Defensive Dominance on Show
George Springer homered on the opening delivery from Bryce Miller, who then escaped a bases-threatening situation in a 27-pitch first inning. Anthony Santander hit a single in the second inning for the Blue Jays' only other hit, and Mariners pitchers set down 23 out of the final 24 Toronto hitters. Miller, Gabe Speier, Matt Brash and Andrés Muñoz joined forces to throw just 100 deliveries under two days after the Seattle team needed 209 throws to outplay Detroit over 15 frames.
Key Batting Moments
Raleigh, who led the major leagues with 60 homers, evened the game in the sixth with his ninth homer in 14 appearances at the Toronto ballpark. Kevin Gausman had previously kept batters hitless on splitters in the playoffs before the home run by the catcher.
Polanco hit a go-ahead single subsequently in the frame and contributed an RBI single in the eighth.
“We are a resilient squad, you know, one through nine,” Raleigh stated. “Pitchers came out today, really, really impressed us. They did awesome. Especially short rest and the high pitch count the other day.”
Seattle, the AL West titleholder journeyed to Toronto, the AL East champion on Saturday after a 3-2 win at home over the Detroit Tigers to win the Division Series in the longest winner-take-all game in MLB history.
Historic Achievements
Seattle, the only MLB team to never host a World Series game, held Toronto to two hits after the Toronto squad had 50 hits and 34 runs in their four-game Division Series against the New York Yankees. Miller, the winner, struck out three and walked three in six frames, throwing 72 pitches. The three relievers each had 1-2-3 innings, with Muñoz securing the save.
“This will be a fiercely contested series, for sure,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider commented. “Our team will be prepared 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 homer was his fourth in 15 appearances against Kevin Gausman, who suffered the defeat.
Polanco, the hero of Friday's game, hit a single off Brendon Little to bring home Julio Rodríguez, who was issued a walk by Gausman. Polanco later added another run-scoring hit against Domínguez.
Notable Game Moments
Eugenio Suárez doubled against the top of the right-field fence in the seventh inning against Louis Varland. The 395-foot drive would have been a homer in half of MLB stadiums, including Seattle.
Blue Jays outfielder Nathan Lukes left in the fourth inning. Lukes sustained a right knee bruise when he fouled a ball into his knee in the opening frame.
