Mariners dominate Blue Jays, Seize 2-0 ALCS lead
TORONTO - the Seattle Mariners are now two wins away from their first World Series appearance in franchise history, after a commanding 9-3 victory over the Toronto blue Jays in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series on Monday. The Mariners’ offense, bolstered by timely home runs, proved too much for the Blue Jays, giving Seattle a 2-0 series lead.
The game featured a back-and-forth battle early on, with the Blue Jays tying the score at 3-3 after responding to a three-run home run by Julio Rodriguez. However, the Mariners answered emphatically, highlighted by a go-ahead three-run blast from Jorge Polanco in the fifth inning. Polanco’s homer,his third of the postseason and first batting left-handed,came off right-hander Louis Varland. It mirrored his success in the ALDS, where he hit two home runs against Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal.
Mariners rookie right-hander bryce Yesavage navigated a challenging start, stranding a runner in scoring position with consecutive strikeouts after Rodriguez’s home run. He ultimately held the mariners scoreless until being replaced with one out and two runners on base in the fifth. The Mariners’ offensive surge continued in the seventh inning when Josh Naylor launched a two-run home run off Braydon Fisher, extending Seattle’s lead to 9-3. Naylor, a native of Mississauga, Ontario, became the first Canadian-born player to hit a postseason home run as a visiting player in canada.
“I went 0-for-4 yesterday, and we won,” Naylor said. “So, if I did it again today, maybe [it] was good luck to go 0-for-4, and we would win again. But I was very thankful to get some hits, help the team out. Super cool to do it in front of my family,too.”
the mariners’ acquisition of Naylor and Eugenio Suarez at the trade deadline has proven pivotal, adding much-needed power to an offense that previously struggled to support the team’s strong pitching staff. Manager Scott Crawford believes this team is capable of achieving a feat no Mariners team has since the franchise’s inception in 1977.
“We’re two wins away,” Crawford said. ”If that doesn’t fire anyone up, I don’t know what can.”
The series shifts to Seattle for Games 3 and 4, where the mariners will look to close out the ALCS and secure their first trip to the World Series.
