Cal Raleigh blasted a home run, Jorge Polanco delivered the winning run with a sixth frame single, and the Seattle Mariners defeated the Blue Jays 3-1 Sunday night as they made their return to the ALCS for the initial occasion in two dozen years.
Pitching Mastery on Show
George Springer homered on the first pitch from Bryce Miller, who then got out of a two-on jam in a 27-delivery first inning. Anthony Santander hit a single in the second inning for Toronto’s 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 pitches less than 48 hours after the Seattle team needed 209 pitches to outlast Detroit over 15 innings.
Key Offensive Moments
Raleigh, who led the major leagues with 60 homers, evened the game in the sixth with his ninth home run in 14 games at the Toronto ballpark. Kevin Gausman had previously kept batters hitless on splitters in the postseason before the homer by the catcher.
Polanco hit a go-ahead single subsequently in the frame and added an run-scoring single in the eighth.
“We are a resilient squad, as you know, from top to bottom,” Raleigh stated. “Pitchers came out today, extremely impressive. They did awesome. Particularly on short rest and the high pitch count the other day.”
Seattle, the AL West titleholder traveled to Toronto, the AL East champion on the prior day after a 3-2 win at home over the Tigers to win the Division Series in the most extended decisive contest in Major League Baseball history.
Historic Accomplishments
The Mariners, the sole MLB franchise to never host a World Series game, held Toronto to two hits after the Blue Jays had 50 hits along with 34 runs in their four-game playoff series against the Yankees. Miller, who earned the win, fanned three and issued three walks in six frames, throwing 72 pitches. The bullpen trio each had perfect innings, with Muñoz getting the save.
“This will be a fiercely contested series, man,” Toronto manager John Schneider said. “Our team will be prepared for it.”
Springer’s 21st postseason home run ended a tie with the Derek Jeter of the Yankees, moving him into sole possession of fifth place on the all-time 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 bring home Rodríguez, who was walked by Gausman. Polanco later added another run-scoring hit against Seranthony Domínguez.
Memorable Contest Highlights
Eugenio Suárez hit a double off the top of the right-field wall in the seventh inning against Louis Varland. The 395-foot drive 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 sustained a right knee bruise when he fouled a pitch off it in the first inning.
