TORONTO – Already during this captivating run to the American League Championship Series, the Toronto Blue Jays have conquered so many of the hills – not maxing out their talent; not winning the AL East; zero playoff victories; not taking a post-season series – that felled them in years past. So, it’s perhaps fitting then that their latest climb features the Seattle Mariners, who vanquished them in a 2022 wild-card sweep that included a Game 2 rally from 8-1 down that’s now very much part of the expansion cousin’s lore.
After all, if this is going to be a fully redemptive journey, might as well face down all the of the past’s hauntings.
But while this iteration of the Blue Jays is a more complete team than the one from three years ago, so too is this edition of the Mariners, fatigue and all after Friday night’s 15-inning Game 5 win over the Detroit Tigers and delay-filled travel Saturday.
They shook off both that and the 209 pitches thrown by seven pitchers, including Logan Gilbert and Luis Castillo out of the bullpen, during their thrilling clincher to get the jump on their rested rivals Sunday. Bryce Miller delivered six innings of gutsy work to outduel Kevin Gausman, while a solo homer by MVP candidate Cal Raleigh erased George Springer’s leadoff shot before two Jorge Polanco RBI singles secured a 3-1, ALCS-opening win.
The contest played out along the fault lines that will decide the best-of-seven, with Seattle’s enviable starting rotation and deep bullpen able to limit the quality contact of Toronto’s strong bat-to-ball lineup, while the Mariners’ deep lineup kept the pressure up enough to eke out enough offence against Gausman and the Blue Jays’ bullpen.
Seattle is by no means out of the water from the toll of Friday’s victory, as they were still deciding on who would start Game 2, but in grabbing the opener they turned up the heat on rookie Trey Yesavage, who counters Monday for the Blue Jays as they seek to salvage a split.
Another wrinkle for the Blue Jays, after Bo Bichette wasn’t ready to be rostered for the series, was that Nathan Lukes left the game in the fourth inning with a contusion after fouling a ball off his right knee in the first. His status wasn’t immediately known.
The loss came after an ideal start for the Blue Jays before a crowd of 44,474, as Gausman worked out of a jam in the first after one-out singles from Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez put men on the corners, when Polanco, who delivered a walk-off RBI single in the 15th inning Friday night, followed with a weak chopper to third that Addison Barger snagged and fired home, where Alejandro Kirk tagged out his counterpart.
Josh Naylor flew out to end the inning and in the bottom half, Springer hammered Miller’s first pitch, a 97.3 m.p.h. fastball on the outer edge, over the wall in right to open the scoring.
Lukes followed with a 12-pitch walk and after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. lined out on a 107.2 m.p.h. drive and Barger walked, Kirk popped out and Daulton Varsho lined out at 102.5 m.p.h. to end the inning.
Miller’s 27-pitch first might have been a problem but he reeled in his outing from there, trading zeroes with Gausman until Raleigh’s solo shot in the sixth.
Gausman followed with a walk to Julio Rodriguez that ended his night, with a Brendon Little wild pitch advancing the runner before Polanco’s go-ahead single made it a 2-1 game.
Polanco’s RBI single in the eighth extended the lead and the Blue Jays didn’t have an answer from there.
