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Cal Raleigh homered, Jorge Polanco drove in the winning run with a sixth-inning single, and the 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 Dominance on Show

George Springer launched a homer on the first pitch from Bryce Miller, who then escaped a two-on jam in a 27-delivery first inning. Anthony Santander hit a single in the second inning for Toronto’s sole additional hit, and Seattle pitchers set down 23 out of the final 24 Toronto hitters. The pitching quartet combined to throw just 100 deliveries under two days after the Seattle team needed 209 pitches to outplay Detroit over 15 innings.

Key Offensive Plays

Raleigh, who led the major leagues with 60 homers, tied the score in the sixth with his ninth home run in 14 appearances at the Toronto ballpark. Kevin Gausman had held batters to 0 for 16 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 inning.

“We are a resilient squad, you know, from top to bottom,” Raleigh stated. “Our pitchers performed today, extremely impressive. They were outstanding. Particularly on short rest and the high pitch count the other day.”

AL West champion Seattle traveled to Toronto, the AL East champion on the prior day after a 3-2 home victory over the Tigers to claim the Division Series in the most extended decisive contest in Major League Baseball history.

Historic Achievements

The Mariners, the only MLB team to not have hosted a World Series game, limited Toronto to just two hits after the Blue Jays had 50 hits and 34 runs in their four-game playoff series against the New York Yankees. Miller, the winner, struck out three and walked three in six innings, throwing 72 pitches. The bullpen trio each had perfect innings, with Muñoz securing the save.

“This will be a fiercely contested series, for sure,” Toronto manager John Schneider said. “These guys will be ready for it.”

Springer’s 21st postseason home run broke a tie with the Derek Jeter of the Yankees, placing him alone in fifth position on the all-time list. Raleigh's home run was his fourth in 15 at-bats against Gausman, who took the loss.

Polanco, who had the game-ending single Friday, hit a single off Brendon Little to drive in Julio Rodríguez, who was walked by the pitcher. Polanco added another RBI single against Seranthony Domínguez.

Notable Game Highlights

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 homer 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 opening frame.