đź”— Share this article Cal Raleigh Hits Home Run as Mariners Defeat Toronto Blue Jays in Much-Anticipated Return to AL Championship Series Cal Raleigh blasted a home run, Jorge Polanco delivered the decisive run with a sixth frame single, and the Seattle Mariners defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 on Sunday evening as they returned to the ALCS for the initial occasion in two dozen years. Defensive Mastery on Show George Springer homered on the first pitch from Bryce Miller, who then escaped a bases-threatening situation in a 27-delivery first inning. Anthony Santander singled in the second for Toronto’s only other hit, and Seattle pitchers set down 23 out of the final 24 Toronto hitters. Miller, Gabe Speier, Matt Brash and AndrĂ©s Muñoz joined forces to throw just 100 pitches less than 48 hours after the Seattle team needed 209 pitches to outplay Detroit over 15 innings. Key Batting Plays Raleigh, the major league home run leader with 60, evened the game 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 the catcher. 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, one through nine,” Raleigh stated. “Pitchers came out today, really, really impressed us. They were outstanding. Particularly on short rest and the high pitch count the previous game.” Seattle, the AL West titleholder traveled to Toronto, the AL East champion on the prior day after a 3-2 home victory over the Detroit Tigers to win the Division Series in the longest winner-take-all game in Major League Baseball history. Historic Accomplishments Seattle, the sole MLB franchise to never host a Fall Classic game, held Toronto to 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, fanned three and issued three walks in six innings, throwing 72 pitches. The bullpen trio each had 1-2-3 innings, with Muñoz securing the save. “This is going to be a hard-fought series, for sure,” Toronto manager John Schneider said. “These guys will be ready for it.” Springer’s 21st postseason home run ended a tie with the Yankees’ Derek Jeter, placing him alone in fifth position on the all-time list. Raleigh's home run was his fourth in 15 appearances against Gausman, who took the loss. Polanco, the hero of Friday's game, singled against Brendon Little to bring home Julio RodrĂguez, who was walked by the pitcher. Polanco later added another run-scoring hit against DomĂnguez. Memorable Contest Moments 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 exited in the fourth. Lukes bruised his right knee when he fouled a pitch off it in the opening frame.