Cal Raleigh homered, Jorge Polanco drove in the winning run with a sixth frame single, and the Mariners beat 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 Mastery on Show
George Springer launched a homer on the opening delivery from Miller, who then got out of a two-on jam in a 27-delivery first inning. Anthony Santander singled in the second inning for Toronto’s only other hit, and Seattle pitchers retired 23 out of the final 24 Toronto hitters. The pitching quartet combined to throw just 100 pitches under two days after the Mariners needed 209 throws to outplay the Tigers over 15 frames.
Key Batting Plays
Raleigh, the major league home run leader with 60, tied the score in the sixth inning with his ninth homer in 14 appearances at Rogers Centre. Kevin Gausman had previously kept batters hitless on splitters in the postseason before the home run by the catcher.
Polanco hit a go-ahead single later in the inning and added an RBI single in the eighth.
“We are a resilient squad, you know, from top to bottom,” Raleigh stated. “Pitchers came out today, really, really impressed us. They did awesome. Especially short rest and how many pitches they threw the other day.”
AL West champion Seattle journeyed to Toronto, the AL East champion on the prior day after a 3-2 win at home over the Detroit Tigers to claim the Division Series in the most extended decisive contest in MLB history.
Historic Achievements
The Mariners, the sole MLB franchise to never host a Fall Classic game, limited Toronto to just two hits after the Blue Jays had 50 hits along with 34 runs in their four-game Division Series against the Yankees. Miller, the winner, struck out three and walked three in six innings, throwing 72 pitches. The three relievers each had 1-2-3 innings, with Muñoz getting the save.
“This will be a fiercely contested series, man,” Toronto manager John Schneider commented. “These guys will be ready for it.”
Springer's 21st playoff homer broke a tie with the Yankees’ Derek Jeter, 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, singled against Brendon Little to bring home Julio Rodríguez, who was issued a walk by Gausman. Polanco added another RBI single against Domínguez.
Notable Contest Moments
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, 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.
