Mariners head to game 7 after a win and a loss over the weekend

SEATTLE (AP) — The Mariners looked poised to take the ALCS after taking a 3-2 series lead on Saturday. However, the Blue Jays stormed back in game six to tie the series. Both teams head to game seven to decide who will face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. 

Saturday

Toronto had come from behind against Seattle and was closing in on a 3-2 lead in the American League Championship Series, ahead by a run in the seventh inning when George Springer was hit by a pitch on the right kneecap and forced from the game.

Brendon Little then allowed Cal Raleigh's tying homer leading off the eighth, Seranthony Domínguez gave up Eugenio Suárez's grand slam later in the inning and the Mariners won 6-2 on Friday to move within a victory of their first World Series.

“We’re right where we want to be,” Blue Jays third baseman Ernie Clement said. “That was our goal coming here, get back to Toronto. Obviously we wanted this game to go a little different, but we’re in a great spot. We’ve got a chance, that’s all we need.”

Springer fell to the ground when hit by a 95.6 mph pitch from Bryan Woo. The veteran designated hitter stayed down in the batter’s box while manager John Schneider and Drew MacDonald of the team’s athletic training staff came out from the dugout. Springer walked gingerly toward first, attempted to run a few steps, then walked off and was replaced by pinch-runner Joey Loperfido.

Schneider said Springer has a bruised knee but X-rays didn’t show a break. Springer will have more tests after the team returns to Toronto ahead of Game 6 in the best-of-seven series on Sunday night.

“George is about as tough as they come,” Schneider said. “I think he’ll have to really, really be hurting to not be in the lineup on Sunday. So we’ll see how he is.”

Springer was booed loudly by the Seattle crowd each time he came to the plate, a reaction to his days with the 2017 Houston Astros, who were caught illegally stealing signs during that championship season. Jeers continued as Springer was on the ground and turned to cheers as he left the field.

“I know this is an awesome atmosphere to play in,” Schneider said. “And it’s really, really cool to play here, and I think the fans that were booing him should take a look in the mirror and understand what kind of player he is and — I’ll stop there, because when a guy gets hit in the knee and is in obvious pain and you have 40,000 people cheering, not the right thing to do.”

Springer's teammates also were upset.

“I don’t know how you boo somebody who’s down on the ground hurt,” Clement said. “I don’t understand that. I’ve had a lot of respect for all of the Mariners fans, especially the ones that I’ve kind of talked to throughout the series, they’ve been awesome. But that’s a tough moment. That’s pretty classless.”

Springer's run-scoring double in the fifth gave him six straight games with an extra-base hit. The 36-year-old, a four-time All-Star, is hitting .256 with three home runs and five doubles this postseason.

Trying to reach the World Series for the first time since its second straight title in 1993, Toronto had won the first two games in Seattle to even the series.

“Tough loss, obviously, to lose the way we did, but these guys are resilient,” said Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman, who gave up one run over 5 2/3 innings. “We’ve been the best team in baseball at home, so we feel pretty good about our chances. The crowd’s going to be on our side, as opposed to the last couple of games. So we definitely look forward to see Rogers Centre packed and ready to go.”

Sunday

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his sixth home run this postseason, rookie Trey Yesavage struck out seven in 5 2/3 innings and the Toronto Blue Jays pushed the American League Championship Series to the limit by beating the sloppy Seattle Mariners 6-2 on Sunday night.

The AL pennant will be decided Monday night in Toronto, the second Game 7 in Blue Jays history. Toronto lost to Kansas City in the 1985 ALCS.

“Got to enjoy it, man. This is what we sign up for,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “It’s special and unique, but you have to look at it as a game.”

For one famous baseball family, it will also be a first. Guerrero's father, Hall of Fame outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, never played in a postseason Game 7 during his 16-year career.

“My dad was telling me, Game 7 is give it all you have,” the Toronto slugger said.

Seattle, the only big league team without a pennant, will play a Game 7 for the first time. The winner faces the NL champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series beginning Friday.

“Win or go home,” Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez said. “We’re going to lay everything out there.”

Addison Barger homered and drove in three early runs for the Blue Jays, who turned three double plays behind Yesavage — two of them to escape bases-loaded jams.

That made Toronto the first team to induce consecutive bases-loaded, inning-ending double plays in a postseason game, and only the fourth team to turn two in a single postseason game.

“I knew my defense had my back,” Yesavage said.

Toronto also took advantage of Seattle’s season-high three errors. By comparison, the Blue Jays have made four errors in 10 playoff games.

“Balls just kind of in and out of the glove there that put a couple extra guys on base,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “Unfortunately, it led to a couple runs.”

Guerrero’s sixth career postseason homer — all this year — tied him with José Bautista and Joe Carter for the most in Blue Jays history.

“This is what you look for from one of the elite players in the game,” Schneider said.

Bautista threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game.

Toronto had lost its previous four games when facing postseason elimination. That streak stretched to Game 5 of the 2016 ALCS against Cleveland and included wild-card round losses to Tampa Bay in 2020, Seattle in 2022 and Minnesota in 2023.

Guerrero’s leadoff homer in the fifth made it 5-0 and chased Mariners starter Logan Gilbert. The right-hander allowed four earned runs and seven hits in four-plus innings.

“I thought he had a good fastball, especially early,” Wilson said. “His split was good at times. This is a tough lineup and they did what they had to do to get the ball in play.”

Yesavage took a shutout into the sixth. He was charged with two runs and six hits, five of them singles. Five of his strikeouts came on his split-finger fastball, as did both double-play grounders with the bases loaded.

“I just believed in myself. I know my stuff plays at this level,” Yesavage said. “I know the defense behind me is going to play at the best of their abilities, and getting three double plays in back-to-back-to-back innings was huge.”

The 22-year-old Yesavage threw a season-high 31 splitters. He got 10 whiffs on splitters and five more on sliders.

“He brings the energy,” Guerrero said. “He’s young. He wants to win so bad.”

Three of Yesavage’s six major league starts have come in the playoffs. He’s won twice this postseason after winning one of three outings during the regular season.

Louis Varland got four outs and Jeff Hoffman struck out four over two hitless innings to end it.

The Mariners used two walks and a single to load the bases against Yesavage in the third but were denied when slugger Cal Raleigh grounded into a 3-6-1 double play started by Guerrero and completed by Yesavage covering first base. Raleigh’s first-pitch grounder came off his bat at 101 mph.

“Underappreciated, I think, is how Vlad can play really deep because of his arm,” Schneider said. “In that situation, too, you need some wiggle room for a guy that hits the ball really hard.”

Raleigh finished 0 for 4 with three strikeouts.

Seattle came up empty again after another bases-loaded opportunity in the fourth when J.P. Crawford grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.

The Mariners broke through and chased Yesavage in the sixth. Josh Naylor’s solo shot was his third home run of the playoffs. Yesavage exited after Randy Arozarena’s base hit, and Eugenio Suárez greeted Varland with a bloop RBI single.

Toronto took advantage of fielding errors by Rodríguez in center field and Suárez at third base to score twice in the second, when Barger and Isiah Kiner-Falefa had RBI singles.

Ernie Clement hit a two-out triple off the left-field wall in the third and scored when Barger homered, his second of the postseason.

George Springer started at designated hitter for the Blue Jays and went 0 for 4 with a walk. Springer exited in the seventh inning of Friday’s Game 5 loss in Seattle after he was hit on the right kneecap by a 95.6 mph pitch from Bryan Woo.

Guerrero was hit by a pitch from Seattle reliever Matt Brash in the seventh. Guerrero moved to second on Alejandro Kirk’s single and was advancing on a wild pitch when he scored on Raleigh’s throwing error.

Toronto is expected to start RHP Shane Bieber on Monday night. Bieber allowed two runs and four hits over six innings in Game 3, a 13-4 win for the Blue Jays. He struck out eight and walked one as he bounced back from a poor outing against the Yankees in the Division Series.