Cal Raleigh homered, Jorge Polanco delivered the decisive run with a sixth-inning single, and the Mariners beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 Sunday night as they made their return to the AL Championship Series for the first time in 24 years.
Defensive Dominance on Display
George Springer homered on the first pitch from Bryce Miller, who then escaped a bases-threatening situation in a 27-delivery first inning. Anthony Santander singled in the second inning for the Blue Jays' only other hit, and Seattle pitchers retired 23 of the Blue Jays’ final 24 batters. Miller, Gabe Speier, Matt Brash and Andrés Muñoz combined to throw just 100 pitches less than 48 hours after the Seattle team needed 209 throws to outplay the Tigers over 15 frames.
Key Batting Plays
Raleigh, who led the major leagues with 60 homers, 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 subsequently in the frame and added an RBI single in the eighth.
“We are a resilient squad, you know, from top to bottom,” Raleigh said. “Pitchers came out today, really, really impressed us. They were outstanding. Particularly on short rest and the high pitch count the other day.”
AL West champion Seattle traveled to AL East winner Toronto on Saturday after a 3-2 home victory over the Detroit Tigers to claim the Division Series in the longest winner-take-all game in MLB history.
Historic Achievements
Seattle, the sole MLB franchise to never host a Fall Classic game, limited Toronto to just two hits after the Toronto squad had 50 hits along with 34 runs in their four-game Division Series against the New York Yankees. Miller, who earned the win, fanned three and issued three walks in six frames, throwing 72 deliveries. The bullpen trio each had perfect innings, with Muñoz securing the save.
“This is going to be a hard-fought series, for sure,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “These guys will be ready for it.”
Springer's 21st playoff homer broke 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 at-bats against Kevin Gausman, who took the loss.
Polanco, the hero of Friday's game, hit a single off Brendon Little to bring home Rodríguez, who was walked by Gausman. Polanco added another RBI single 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 hit would have been a home run in half of MLB stadiums, Seattle’s field included.
Blue Jays outfielder Nathan Lukes exited in the fourth. Lukes sustained a right knee bruise when he fouled a pitch off it in the opening frame.
