The Seattle Mariners won Game 1 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) with a 3-1 road victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Mariners trailed the Blue Jays in the sixth inning Sunday before Cal Raleigh hit a solo shot – his second home run of the playoffs – to tie the game at 1-1.
Making its first ALCS appearance in 24 years, Seattle took the lead later in the inning on Jorge Polanco’s RBI single, driving in Julio Rodríguez, before the second baseman added another in the eighth inning to complete the victory.
The win gave Seattle a 1-0 lead and home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series, with the teams returning to Rogers Center for Game 2 on Monday.
“We talked about the resiliency of these guys and tonight was another one of those cases,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson told reporters. “(It was a) great job all around, and to come back tonight and win the first game is obviously a big momentum shift for us.”
The Mariners reached this year’s ALCS after the longest winner-take-all playoff game in MLB history on Friday, dramatically defeating the Detroit Tigers 3-2 in four hours and 58 minutes.
Arriving in Toronto after a long day of travel, Seattle was dealt a blow against the Blue Jays when George Springer scored on Bryce Miller’s first pitch — the first time a Toronto player had hit a leadoff home run in the postseason, according to MLB.com.
However, Miller recovered from the setback to pitch six innings and give up two hits and more runs.
“The work Bryce Miller did tonight was phenomenal,” Wilson said. “Coming back on a short rest and falling behind on the first pitch of the game… After that first inning, he went into a different gear and you saw him get ahead, using all his stuff.
A series win over the Blue Jays would see the Mariners reach the World Series for the first time, while Toronto aims to make the Fall Classic for the first time since 1993.