Mariners Beat Blue Jays 3-1 to Win ALCS Game 1

Post by : Monika

In Game 1 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) on October 13, the Seattle Mariners defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1. The Mariners controlled the game, weakens the Blue Jays’ batting, and gained early momentum in the best-of-seven series.

Strong Pitching by Seattle

Bryce Miller pitched six solid innings for Seattle, despite having only three days to rest. He allowed just one run and two hits. His performance was key. Seattle’s bullpen also helped greatly: Gabe Speier, Matt Brash, and Andrés Munoz kept Toronto from scoring in the final innings.

Toronto’s starter, Kevin Gausman, pitched well too—he gave up two runs over 5⅔ innings. But a costly home run and a walk hurt his effort.

How the Runs Happened

Toronto started with an early lead. On the very first pitch of the game, George Springer hit a solo home run to right field. That gave Toronto a 1-0 lead.

Seattle responded in the sixth inning. Cal Raleigh hit a solo home run to tie the game at 1-1. After that, Jorge Polanco hit two singles that brought in two runs—his hits gave Seattle a 3-1 lead.

Toronto could only manage one more hit the whole game.

Additional Details & Notes

• Seattle had just played a long, tough 15-inning game in the prior series and their flight to Toronto was delayed. Despite that, they showed little fatigue.
• In the first inning, Seattle had runners on first and third with one out, but their rally was stopped.
• At one point, Gausman retired 16 batters in a row before allowing the homer to Raleigh.
• After the homer, Julio Rodríguez walked, and when Gausman was replaced, Polanco’s single drove in a run.
• The bullpen was excellent: Speier tossed a perfect 7th, Brash a perfect 8th, and Munoz closed it out in the 9th.
• Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had no hits in four chances and said, “We just didn’t hit.”

What This Means for the Series

With this win, Seattle takes control of the series early. They have already neutralized Toronto’s home-field edge by winning on the road. Now, the pressure shifts to Toronto in Game 2.

Seattle’s manager, Dan Wilson, said this Game 1 win was a major swing in momentum, but emphasized that a lot more work lies ahead.