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Cal Raleigh homered, Jorge Polanco delivered the winning run with a sixth frame single, and the Mariners beat the Blue Jays 3-1 Sunday night as they returned to the ALCS for the initial occasion in two dozen years.

Defensive Dominance on Display

George Springer homered on the first pitch from Bryce Miller, who then got out of a two-on jam in a 27-delivery opening frame. Anthony Santander singled in the second for Toronto’s sole additional hit, and Mariners pitchers set down 23 of the Blue Jays’ final 24 batters. Miller, Gabe Speier, Matt Brash and Andrés Muñoz combined to throw just 100 deliveries less than 48 hours after the Mariners needed 209 throws to outplay Detroit over 15 innings.

Crucial Offensive Plays

Raleigh, the major league home run leader with 60, evened the game in the sixth inning with his ninth homer in 14 appearances at Rogers Centre. Kevin Gausman had held batters to 0 for 16 on splitters in the playoffs before the home run by the catcher.

Polanco delivered a go-ahead base hit later in the inning and added an run-scoring single in the eighth.

“We’re a tough team, you know, one through nine,” Raleigh stated. “Pitchers came out today, really, really impressed us. They were outstanding. Particularly on short rest and the high pitch count the previous game.”

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

Historic Accomplishments

The Mariners, the only MLB team to not have hosted a Fall Classic game, held Toronto to two hits after the Blue Jays had 50 hits and 34 runs in their four-game Division Series against the New York Yankees. Miller, the winner, struck out three and walked three in six frames, throwing 72 deliveries. The bullpen trio each had perfect innings, with Muñoz securing the save.

“This is going to be a hard-fought series, man,” Toronto manager John Schneider commented. “These guys will be ready for it.”

Springer's 21st playoff homer ended a tie with the Derek Jeter of the Yankees, moving him into sole possession of fifth place on the career list. Raleigh's home run was his fourth in 15 at-bats against Gausman, who took the loss.

Polanco, the hero of Friday's game, singled against Brendon Little to bring home Rodríguez, who was issued a walk by Gausman. Polanco added another RBI single against Domínguez.

Notable Game Moments

Eugenio Suárez hit a double against the top of the right-field fence in the seventh inning against Louis Varland. The 395-foot hit would have been a home run in half of MLB stadiums, including Seattle.

Blue Jays outfielder Nathan Lukes exited in the fourth. Lukes bruised his right knee when he fouled a ball into his knee in the opening frame.