đź”— Share this article Cal Raleigh Homers as Seattle Mariners Defeat Toronto Blue Jays in Long-Awaited Comeback to AL Championship Series Cal Raleigh blasted a home run, Jorge Polanco delivered the decisive run with a sixth frame single, and the Mariners overcame the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 on Sunday evening as they made their return to the ALCS for the initial occasion in two dozen years. Pitching Dominance on Display George Springer launched a homer on the first pitch from Bryce Miller, who then escaped a bases-threatening situation in a 27-delivery first inning. Anthony Santander hit a single in the second inning for the Blue Jays' sole additional hit, and Mariners pitchers set down 23 out of the final 24 Toronto hitters. The pitching quartet combined to throw just 100 pitches under two days after the Mariners needed 209 pitches to outplay Detroit over 15 innings. Crucial Batting Moments Raleigh, the major league home run leader with 60, evened the game in the sixth inning with his ninth home run in 14 appearances at Rogers Centre. Kevin Gausman had previously kept batters hitless on splitters in the postseason before the homer by the catcher. Polanco hit a go-ahead single subsequently in the frame and contributed an run-scoring single in the eighth inning. “We’re a tough team, you know, from top to bottom,” Raleigh stated. “Pitchers came out today, really, really impressed us. They were outstanding. Especially short rest and how many pitches they threw the previous game.” AL West champion Seattle 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 sole MLB franchise to never host a Fall Classic game, limited Toronto to just two hits after the Toronto squad had 50 hits and 34 runs in their four-game playoff series against the New York Yankees. Miller, the winner, fanned three and issued three walks in six innings, throwing 72 deliveries. The three relievers each had 1-2-3 innings, with Muñoz getting the save. “This will be a fiercely contested series, man,” Toronto manager John Schneider commented. “Our team will be prepared for it.” Springer's 21st playoff homer broke a tie with the Yankees’ Derek Jeter, placing him alone in fifth position on the all-time list. Raleigh’s homer was his fourth in 15 at-bats against Gausman, who suffered the defeat. Polanco, the hero of Friday's game, singled against Brendon Little to bring home RodrĂguez, who was issued a walk by Gausman. Polanco added another RBI single against DomĂnguez. Memorable Contest Highlights Eugenio Suárez hit a double 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, including Seattle. Toronto outfielder Nathan Lukes left in the fourth inning. Lukes bruised his right knee when he fouled a ball into his knee in the first inning.