Springer’s homer sends the Blue Jays to the World Series with a 4-3 win over the Mariners in Game 7 of the ALCS

TORONTO (AP) — Wow, Canada!

After a huge swing from George Springer, the World Series heads north of the border for the first time in 32 years.

Springer hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning and the Toronto Blue Jays won their first pennant since 1993 by beating the Seattle Mariners 4-3 in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays will host Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 Friday when the Fall Classic comes to Canada for the third time.

“The work is not done. We have four left,” said Guerrero, the ALCS MVP.

The defending champion Dodgers swept Milwaukee in four games in the NLCS last week.

“I honestly think the two best teams are left standing,” Toronto manager John Schneider said.

Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez each hit a solo home run for Seattle in the team’s first playoff game, but the heartbroken Mariners squandered a 3-1 lead in the seventh and lost eight outs before their first World Series appearance.

“I hate to use the word failure, but it is failure,” Raleigh said. “What we expected to do was get to the World Series and win a World Series. That’s what the bar and the standard is and that’s what we want to hold ourselves accountable for.”

Seattle remains the only major league club without a pennant.

“There’s no doubt it’s going to sting,” manager Dan Wilson said. “They’re a special team in there. It’s a shame we had to come out on the wrong side of this one.”

Addison Barger walked to start the seventh, Isiah Kiner-Falefa singled on an 0-2 pitch and Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo was removed after No. 9 hitter Andrés Giménez advanced runners with a sacrifice bunt.

Springer, the 2017 World Series MVP for Houston, greeted Eduard Bazardo with his fourth home run of the postseason, a 381-foot drive to left field that sent the sellout crowd of 44,770 into a roaring, thrilling frenzy.

“It’s so fitting,” Schneider said. “The bottom of our order is doing it again. There’s probably no one else on planet Earth I want to see besides George Springer and his October magic.”

It was the first home run in Game 7 history when a team trailed by multiple runs in the seventh inning or later.

And it was Springer’s 23rd career postseason homer, tying Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber for third place. Manny Ramírez holds the major league record with 29.

“Amazing moment,” Springer said. “So happy for our team, our fans, our city, our country.”

Toronto became the fourth team to lose the first two games of a best-of-seven playoff series at home and bounce back to win. The others were the 1985 Kansas City Royals, the 1986 New York Mets and the 1996 New York Yankees – all making the World Series.

“I think he’s an inspiration to 41 million people in Canada, from coast to coast,” Blue Jays president Edward Rogers said. “It’s Team Canada.”

Making his first relief appearance since the 2021 playoffs, Kevin Gausman issued three walks in the scoreless seventh inning to earn the victory.

Countryman Chris Bassitt pitched a perfect eighth and Jeff Hoffman retired all three batters in the ninth for his second postseason save.

Rodríguez opened the game with a double and scored on a one-out single by Josh Naylor. Daulton Varsho tied it with an RBI single against George Kirby in the bottom half before Rodríguez gave Seattle the lead again with a leadoff homer in the third.

Raleigh, who led the majors with 60 homers in the regular season, made it 3-1 with a leadoff homer off Louis Varland in the fifth.

Raleigh has 10 homers in 15 career games at the Rogers Center, including three in the postseason. He also homered in Toronto in Game 1 of the 2022 Wild Card Series and Game 1 of this year’s ALCS.

Naylor was called back to end the first game after the umpires ruled that he had interfered with Ernie Clement’s throw to first base on a double play by jumping into the throw and deflecting it.

Kirby allowed one run and four hits in four innings. He walked one and struck out three.

Toronto starter Shane Bieber allowed two runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out five.

The Blue Jays were playing a Game 7 for the first time since losing at home to Kansas City in the 1985 ALCS.

Guerrero, 26, born in Montreal, arrived at the stadium wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey jersey bearing Auston Matthews’ name and number. The star forward is 0-6 in 7 games with Toronto in his 10 NHL seasons.

“I think Vladdy broke the curse,” Schneider joked.

The Blue Jays’ victory also brought 64-year-old bench coach Don Mattingly to the World Series for the first time after a long baseball career. The former New York Yankees captain, six-time All-Star and 1985 AL MVP managed the Dodgers from 2011-15.

To be continued

The Dodgers are in the World Series for the fifth time since 2017 and are aiming for their third championship in six years. Toronto’s only appearances resulted in back-to-back titles in 1992 and 1993.

The AL East champion Blue Jays hold home-field advantage and will host the opener because they finished the regular season with 94 wins, one more than the NL West champion Dodgers.

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