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Cal Raleigh homered, Jorge Polanco delivered the winning run with a sixth frame single, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 Sunday night as they made their return to the ALCS for the first time in two dozen years.

Pitching Dominance on Show

George Springer launched a homer on the first pitch from Miller, who then escaped a bases-threatening situation in a 27-pitch first inning. Anthony Santander singled in the second inning for Toronto’s only other hit, and Mariners pitchers set down 23 out of the final 24 Toronto hitters. Miller, Gabe Speier, Matt Brash and Andrés Muñoz combined to throw just 100 deliveries under two days after the Mariners needed 209 pitches to outlast the Tigers over 15 frames.

Crucial Batting Plays

Raleigh, the major league home run leader with 60, evened the game in the sixth inning with his ninth homer in 14 games at Rogers Centre. Kevin Gausman had previously kept batters hitless on splitters in the playoffs before the home run by Raleigh.

Polanco delivered a go-ahead base hit subsequently in the frame and contributed an RBI single in the eighth.

“We are a resilient squad, you know, from top to bottom,” Raleigh stated. “Pitchers came out today, extremely impressive. They did awesome. Especially short rest and the high pitch count the other day.”

Seattle, the AL West titleholder journeyed to Toronto, the AL East champion on the prior day after a 3-2 home victory over the Tigers to claim the Division Series in the longest winner-take-all game in MLB history.

Historic Achievements

The Mariners, the only MLB team to never host a World Series game, limited Toronto to just two hits after the Blue Jays had 50 hits along with 34 runs in their four-game Division Series against the Yankees. Miller, the winner, struck out three and walked three in six innings, throwing 72 pitches. The bullpen trio each had 1-2-3 innings, with Muñoz getting the save.

“This will be a fiercely contested series, man,” Toronto manager John Schneider commented. “These guys will be ready for it.”

Springer’s 21st postseason home run broke a tie with the Derek Jeter of the Yankees, moving him into sole possession of fifth place on the all-time list. Raleigh's home run was his fourth in 15 appearances against Kevin Gausman, who suffered the defeat.

Polanco, the hero of Friday's game, hit a single off Brendon Little to drive in Rodríguez, who was walked by the pitcher. Polanco added another RBI single against Domínguez.

Notable Contest Moments

Eugenio Suárez doubled off the top of the right-field wall in the seventh inning against Louis Varland. The 395-foot hit would have been a home run in half of MLB stadiums, Seattle’s field included.

Blue Jays outfielder Nathan Lukes left in the fourth inning. Lukes sustained a right knee bruise when he fouled a ball into his knee in the first inning.