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Cal Raleigh blasted a home run, Jorge Polanco delivered the decisive run with a sixth-inning single, and the Mariners beat the Blue Jays 3-1 Sunday night as they returned to the ALCS for the initial occasion in 24 years.

Defensive Dominance on Display

George Springer launched a homer on the first pitch from Miller, who then got out of a bases-threatening situation in a 27-pitch first inning. Anthony Santander hit a single in the second inning for the Blue Jays' sole additional hit, and Seattle pitchers retired 23 of the Blue Jays’ final 24 batters. The pitching quartet combined to throw just 100 deliveries under two days after the Seattle team needed 209 pitches to outlast Detroit over 15 frames.

Key Offensive Plays

Raleigh, the major league home run leader with 60, evened the game in the sixth inning 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 home run by Raleigh.

Polanco delivered a go-ahead base hit subsequently in the frame and added an run-scoring single in the eighth.

“We are a resilient squad, you know, one through nine,” Raleigh said. “Our pitchers performed today, extremely impressive. They were outstanding. Particularly on short rest and how many pitches they threw the other day.”

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

Historic Achievements

The Mariners, the sole MLB franchise to not have hosted a World Series game, held Toronto to two hits after the Blue Jays had 50 hits along with 34 runs in their four-game playoff series against the Yankees. Miller, the winner, fanned three and issued three walks in six frames, 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 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 appearances against Kevin Gausman, who suffered the defeat.

Polanco, the hero of Friday's game, hit a single off Brendon Little to drive in Rodríguez, who was issued a walk by the pitcher. Polanco later added another run-scoring hit against Domínguez.

Memorable Game Highlights

Eugenio Suárez hit a double off the top of the right-field wall in the seventh against Louis Varland. The 395-foot hit would have been a homer 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 ball into his knee in the first inning.