Blue Jays Force Game 7 with a Solid Victory Over the Mariners
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his sixth postseason home run, while rookie Trey Yesavage struck out seven batters in 5 and two-thirds innings, leading the Toronto Blue Jays to force a seventh game in the American League Championship Series by defeating the Seattle Mariners 6-2 on Sunday night. The series will be defined on Monday night in Toronto, marking the second Game 7 in Blue Jays history. In 1985, Toronto lost to Kansas City in the ALCS. Seattle, the only team in the league without a championship, will play its first postseason Game 7. The winner will face the National League champion, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in the World Series, which will begin on Friday. The Blue Jays achieved three double plays thanks to Yesavage, two of them to escape bases-loaded situations. This made Toronto the first team to achieve consecutive bases-loaded double plays in a postseason game. Furthermore, they are the fourth team to achieve two double plays in a single postseason game. Toronto also took advantage of Seattle’s three errors, the most of the season for the Mariners. In comparison, the Blue Jays have committed four errors in 10 playoff games. Guerrero’s sixth home run in the postseason, all this year, tied him with José Bautista and Joe Carter as the all-time home run leaders in Blue Jays history. Bautista threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game. Addison Barger hit a home run and drove in three runs for the Blue Jays, who had lost their last four elimination games in the postseason. That streak extended to Game 5 of the 2016 ALCS against Cleveland and included wild-card losses to Tampa Bay in 2020, Seattle in 2022, and Minnesota in 2023. Guerrero’s home run in the top of the fifth inning put the score at 5-0 and took Mariners’ starter Logan Gilbert out of the game. The right-hander allowed five runs, four of them earned, and seven hits in four innings. Yesavage, 22, kept the score at zero until the sixth inning. He was responsible for two runs and six hits, five of them singles. Five of his strikeouts were with his split-finger pitch, as were both double-play ground balls with the bases loaded. The rookie threw a season-high 31 splitters. He got 10 swings and misses on splitters and five more on sliders. “He brings energy. He is young. He wants to win a lot,” Guerrero said. Three of Yesavage’s six starts in the Major Leagues have been in the playoffs. He has won twice in three starts this postseason, after winning one of three outings in the regular season.The Mariners loaded the bases against Yesavage in the third inning with two walks and a single, but were denied when Cal Raleigh hit into a 3-6-1 double play. Raleigh’s grounder off his bat came off at 101 mph. Raleigh finished 0-3 with three strikeouts. Seattle once again found themselves with the bases loaded in the fourth inning when J.P. Crawford hit into a 4-6-3 double play. The Mariners scored in the sixth. Josh Naylor’s home run was his third home run of the playoffs. Yesavage left after a single by Randy Arozarena, and Eugenio Suarez greeted Louis Varland with a run-scoring single. Toronto took advantage of fielding errors by Julio Rodríguez in center field and Suarez at third base to score two runs in the second inning, when Barger and Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit RBI singles. Ernie Clement hit a two-out triple off the left field wall in the third inning and scored when Barger hit a home run, his second of the postseason. George Springer was the designated hitter for the Blue Jays and went 0-for-4 with a walk. Springer left in the seventh inning of Friday’s Game 5 loss in Seattle after being 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 inning. Guerrero advanced to second base on Alejandro Kirk’s single and advanced on a wild pitch when he scored on Raleigh’s throwing error.“I just believed in myself. I know my stuff works at this level. I know the defense behind me is going to play their best, and getting three double plays in consecutive innings was huge,” Yesavage said.
Trey Yesavage
