Cal Raleigh blasted a home run, Jorge Polanco delivered the winning run with a sixth-inning single, and the Mariners defeated the Blue Jays 3-1 Sunday night as they returned to the AL Championship Series for the initial occasion in 24 years.
Pitching Dominance on Display
George Springer launched a homer on the opening delivery from Miller, who then escaped a two-on jam 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 out of the final 24 Toronto hitters. The pitching quartet joined forces to throw just 100 pitches under two days after the Mariners needed 209 pitches to outlast Detroit over 15 innings.
Crucial Offensive 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 the Toronto ballpark. Kevin Gausman had previously kept batters hitless on splitters in the playoffs 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’re a tough team, as you know, from top to bottom,” Raleigh stated. “Pitchers came out today, really, really impressed us. 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 Saturday after a 3-2 home victory over the Detroit Tigers to claim the Division Series in the most extended decisive contest in MLB history.
Historic Achievements
The Mariners, the only MLB team to never host a Fall Classic game, held Toronto to 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, struck out three and walked three in six frames, 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,” Toronto manager John Schneider commented. “These guys will be ready for it.”
Springer’s 21st postseason home run broke 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 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 Highlights
Eugenio Suárez doubled off the top of the right-field wall in the seventh against 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 sustained a right knee bruise when he fouled a ball into his knee in the first inning.
