Mariners win — comeback from 8-1 deficit ends with magic win and a pending trip to Houston
The Mariners are on their way back to the American League Division Series for the first time since 2001.
After falling behind by as many as seven runs Saturday at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Seattle rallied by the Blue Jays for a 10-9 victory in a contest that lasted four-plus hours to sweep this best-of-three AL wild-card series in two games.
Mariners second baseman Adam Frazier doubled down the right field line with two outs in the ninth to drive in the winning run.
Cal Raleigh, who also doubled earlier in the inning, scored on the play, once again guaranteeing Seattle’s memorable run this season will continue.
Mariners rookie starter George Kirby, the eighth pitcher Seattle used in the game, worked through a scoreless bottom of the ninth to close out the win.
Kirby got a groundout from Teoscar Hernandez before allowing a one-out walk to Matt Chapman. The potential winning run stepped up to the plate twice, but Kirby struck out Danny Jansen and got a fly out to center from Raimel Tapia to end it.
The Mariners now head to play their division rivals and the AL West champions in the Astros in the best-of-five ALDS, which begins Tuesday in Houston.
For so long in this contest, though, it seemed this wild-card series in Toronto was headed for a decisive Game 3.
Similar to how the Mariners opened Game 1 on Friday, the Blue Jays scored early Saturday.
Alejandro Kirk led off the second for the Blue Jays with a double, and Hernandez followed up with a two-run home run to left center to make it 2-0.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled to drive in Santiago Espinal — who doubled to lead off the inning — in the third, and Hernandez added a solo home run in the fourth to give Toronto a 4-0 advantage.
Hernandez’s second home run ended Seattle starter Robbie Ray’s outing in his return to Toronto. Ray, who won the AL Cy Young Award while with the Blue Jays last season, completed three-plus innings, allowing the four runs on six hits with four strikeouts on 56 pitches.
Meanwhile, Toronto starter Kevin Gausman shut down the Mariners’ offense early, and didn’t allow a hit until the fourth, when Frazier dropped a single into left field to lead off the inning. The hit ended a stretch of 10 consecutive batters retired by Gausman.
Seattle ended the shut out not long after, when Jarred Kelenic drove in Frazier on a sacrifice fly to left to make it 4-1.
The game started to unravel for Seattle in the bottom half of the inning, though.
The Blue Jays sent 10 batters to the plat in the frame, and tacked on four more runs, quieting any thoughts of a Mariners comeback in the later innings.
Paul Sewald, who led the Mariners with 20 saves during the regular season, replaced Brash in relief, and it wasn’t long before Toronto created plenty of traffic on the bases.
Santiago Espinal — the first and last batter in the frame — led off with a single to center, Bo Bichette doubled to right to batters later and Guerrero reached on an intentional walk to load the bases with one out.
A passed ball that glanced off the glove of Raleigh during the next at-bat and traveled to the backstop, allowing Espinal to head home and begin Toronto’s quick scoring sequence.
Kirk then walked to load the bases again, and Bichette scored when Hernandez was hit by a pitch.
Chapman then hit a sacrifice fly to score Guerrero the next at-bat.
Danny Jansen added a double to right to score Kirk and give the Blue Jays an 8-1 lead.
The Mariners pulled Sewald at that point, and Diego Castillo eventually worked out of the inning without Toronto adding on more.
Seattle rallied in the sixth, beginning to cut into a Blue Jays lead that reached as many as seven runs and midway through the game certainly seemed too much to overcome.
Ty France, Eugenio Suarez and Raleigh opened the inning with consecutive base hits to load the bases.
Gausman retired the next two batters, but his outing ended there. Toronto brought in left-hander Tim Mayza from the bullpen to face Carlos Santana, the bases still loaded.
Mayza’s first pitch bounced to the backstop, allowing France to score. Two pitches later, Santana crushed a three-run home run to left center to clear the bases and cut Toronto’s lead to 8-5.
Gausman was charged with three runs in the frame, completing the 5 2/3 innings while allowing the four runs on five hits with seven strikeouts to one walk on 95 pitches.
Toronto pushed the lead back to four runs in the seventh on a Jansen single that scored Hernandez to make it 9-5.
Then, the Mariners rallied for four runs in the top of the eighth. Suarez doubled to open the frame, and Raleigh quickly drove him in on a base hit.
Mitch Haniger and Frazier then added back-to-back singles to load the bases.
Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano, who collected 36 saves in the regular season for Toronto, entered the game ahead of Frazier’s at-bat, and seemed in position to quiet Seattle’s comeback attempt following consecutive swinging strikeouts of Santana and Dylan Moore.
But, J.P. Crawford tied the game on Romano’s next pitch. Seattle’s shortstop lifted a slider into shallow center field, and a collision allowed all three base runners to score and make it 9-9. Blue Jays center fielder George Springer left the game with an injury following the play.
Seattle scored the winning run the following inning to secure a trip to Houston.
Read all of the live updates from the Mariners’ Game 2 win below:
Update, 5:21 p.m. — The Mariners are on their way back to the American League Division Series for the first time since 2001. Seattle completed a late comeback Saturday at Rogers Centre in Toronto to stun the Blue Jays with a 10-9 victory to secure an AL wild-card series win. The Mariners now travel to Houston to play the AL West-champion Astros in the best-of-five ALDS, which begins Tuesday.
Update, 4:59 p.m. — Adam Frazier doubled down the right field line to give the Mariners a 10-9 lead with two outs in the ninth. Cal Raleigh, who also doubled, scored on the play.
Update, 4:28 p.m. — The Mariners tied the game at 9-9 in the top of the eighth on a J.P. Crawford pop up that landed in shallow center field for an eventual three-run double. Blue Jays center fielder George Springer left the game following a collision with shortstop Bo Bichette on the play.
Update, 4:13 p.m. — The Mariners have cut Toronto’s lead back to three in the top of the eighth. Eugenio Suarez doubled to left to open the inning, and Cal Raleigh drove Suarez in on a single to left center. The Blue Jays lead is 9-6 with no outs in the eighth.
Update, 4:01 p.m. — Toronto’s lead is back at four runs following a Danny Jansen single to left with one out in the seventh that scored Teoscar Hernandez. The Blue Jays lead, 9-5.
Updated, 3:34 p.m. — Matt Festa entered the game in relief for the Mariners in the bottom of the sixth and completed a quick 1-2-3 inning, getting a groundout from George Springer, fly out from Bo Bichette and groundout from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on seven total pitches.
Update, 3:29 p.m. — Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman exited with the bases loaded in the sixth. A wild pitch from reliever Tim Mayza and Carlos Santana’s home run eventually cleared the bases in the frame, giving Gausman a final line of 5 2/3 innings pitch, four runs on five hits allowed with one walk and seven strikeouts on 95 pitches.
Update, 3:25 p.m. — Carlos Santana launched a three-run home run to left center to put the Mariners back within reach of the lead. Eugenio Suarez and Cal Raleigh also scored on the play. Toronto remains in front, 8-5.
Update, 3:24 p.m. — Toronto headed to the bullpen with the bases loaded and two outs in the sixth, and a wild pitch from left-hander Tim Mayza resulted in a run for the Mariners. Ty France, who singled to open the inning, scored on the play to make it 8-2.
Update, 2:59 p.m. — Danny Jansen has extended Toronto’s lead further in the fifth, doubling down the line in right to score Alejandro Kirk and ending reliever Paul Sewald’s outing. The Mariners will make another call to the bullpen with the Blue Jays lead at 8-1. Right-hander Diego Castillo will enter the game for Seattle.
Update, 2:57 p.m. — Toronto’s lead is 7-1 with two outs in the fifth after a sacrifice fly to center by Matt Chapman scored Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Update, 2:55 p.m. — After loading the bases a second time in the inning, Toronto has added another run. Teoscar Hernandez was hit by a pitch to score Bo Bichette. Toronto’s lead is 6-1 with one out in the fifth.
Update, 2:52 p.m. — The Blue Jays, after loading the bases with one out in the fifth, have pushed their lead to 5-1 on a pitch that bounced off the glove of Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh for a passed ball. Santiago Espinal scored on the play.
Update, 2:44 p.m. — Right-hander Paul Sewald, who had a team-leading 20 saves during the regular season, is now pitching for the Mariners in the fifth. Matt Brash pitched one inning in relief for Seattle, striking out one.
Update, 2:39 p.m. — The Mariners have ended Toronto’s shut out bid in the top of the fifth. After Adam Frazier recorded Seattle’s first hit of the game to lead off the inning, Carlos Santana doubled off the top of the wall in right center — narrowly missing a home run — to advance Frazier to third. Jarred Kelenic then drove in Frazier on a shallow sacrifice fly to left. The Blue Jays still lead, 4-1.
Update, 2:33 p.m. — Adam Frazier checked in with Seattle’s first hit of Game 2, dropping a single into left to lead off the fifth. The base hit ended a string of 10 consecutive retired batters by Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman. Toronto still leads, 4-0.
Update, 2:21 p.m. — Teoscar Hernandez has two home runs in two at-bats in Game 2. The Blue Jays right fielder led off the bottom of the fourth by sending a fastball over the wall in left center on the first pitch he saw from Robbie Ray to push Toronto’s lead to 4-0.
The Mariners made a call to the bullpen moments later. Ray tossed three-plus innings, allowing the four runs on six hits while striking out four on 56 pitches.
Rookie right-hander Matt Brash is set to enter the game in relief for Seattle.
Update, 2:19 p.m. — Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman worked through another quick inning in the fourth. The Mariners have not had a base runner since the first — when Ty France reached on an error and Cal Raleigh walked — and Gausman has retired the past 10 batters in order. He struck out two more Seattle batters in the fourth to bring his game total to six.
Update, 2:06 p.m. — Vladimir Guerrero Jr. sent his first hit of the series back up the middle with two outs in the third, scoring Santiago Espinal, who doubled to lead off the frame. The Blue Jays have a 3-0 lead.
Update, 1:41 p.m. — The Blue Jays are on the board first in Game 2. Alejandro Kirk led off the bottom of the second by sending a double to the corner in left field, and Teoscar Hernandez followed up by crushing a slider over the fence in left center to give Toronto a 2-0 lead.
The home run was the first of Hernandez’s career in the playoffs. He hit 25 during the regular season in 2022.
Ray allowed 32 home runs during the regular season — the third-most in the majors — while Toronto’s 200 home runs as a team ranked seventh.
Update, 1:26 p.m. — In his return to Toronto after winning the American League Cy Young Award while with the Blue Jays last season, Mariners starter Robbie Ray retired the side in order in the first on 14 pitches. Ray struck out both George Springer and Bo Bichette swinging, while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. grounded out to second.
Update, 12:07 p.m. — First pitch is one hour away in Toronto. Here’s a look at both the Mariners and Blue Jays starting lineups:
The Mariners will roll out a lineup nearly identical to the Game 1 lineup which paced them to the win Friday.
The Blue Jays made several changes from their Game 1 lineup. The first six positions in the batting order remain the same, though Alejandro Kirk will DH after catching Friday.
Danny Jansen will catch Game 2 following a DH day Friday and move up to seventh in the batting order, while Whit Merrifield will bat eighth and move from second base Friday to left field Saturday.
Santiago Espinal will play second and bat ninth, giving the Blue Jays nine right-handed hitters in the lineup to oppose Ray.
Game 2 preview — The Mariners are one win away from advancing to the American League Division Series after posting a 4-0 shutout of Toronto in the first game of this best-of-three wild-card series Friday.
Starter Luis Castillo set the tone for Seattle in the victory, while catcher Cal Raleigh hit a two-run home run in his first career postseason at-bat and third baseman Eugenio Suarez also drove in two runs to pace the Mariners’ offense.
The series continues Saturday afternoon at Rogers Centre in Toronto, with Game 2 set for 1:07 p.m. Pacific.
Left-hander Robbie Ray, who played in parts of two seasons for the Blue Jays — including winning the AL Cy Young Award while with the club last season, when he led the majors with 248 strikeouts and the league with a 2.84 ERA — is set to start for Seattle.
Ray, now in his ninth big league season, signed a five-year contract with the Mariners last winter, and made 32 starts during the regular season, posting a 12-12 record and 3.71 ERA with 212 strikeouts to 62 walks across 189 innings.
Ray pitched against his former team once this summer, but did not earn a decision in Seattle’s win over the Blue Jays in July, which was part of the club’s 14-game winning streak heading into the All-Star break. Ray tossed six quality innings in the Mariners’ 2-1 victory, facing 22 batters and allowing one run on three hits with six strikeouts to two walks.
Right-hander Kevin Gausman, in his first season with Toronto after signing a five-year deal with the club in December, is set to start for the Blue Jays.
A former All-Star with San Francisco, and now in his 10th season in the majors, Gausman made 31 starts for Toronto during the regular season, finishing 12-10 with a 3.35 ERA with 205 strikeouts to 28 walks.
In his only start against Seattle this season, he tossed five innings, allowing two runs on seven hits while striking out three and walking one in an eventual 5-1 win for the Mariners in May.
Should the Mariners win Saturday, they will advance to the ALDS to play the AL West-champion Astros in a best-of-five series, which begins Tuesday in Houston. Should Toronto win, the clubs will play a decisive Game 3 on Sunday at Rogers Centre.
Follow along with us all afternoon for live updates from Saturday’s second game of the series.
This story was originally published October 8, 2022 at 12:06 PM.
