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Cal Raleigh homered, Jorge Polanco delivered the decisive run with a sixth-inning single, and the Seattle Mariners defeated the Blue Jays 3-1 Sunday night as they made their return to the ALCS for the initial occasion in 24 years.

Defensive Dominance on Show

George Springer homered on the first pitch from Bryce Miller, who then escaped a bases-threatening situation in a 27-delivery opening frame. Anthony Santander singled in the second for the Blue Jays' sole additional hit, and Mariners pitchers retired 23 of the Blue Jays’ final 24 batters. Miller, Gabe Speier, Matt Brash and Andrés Muñoz joined forces to throw just 100 pitches under two days after the Mariners needed 209 throws to outlast the Tigers over 15 frames.

Crucial Offensive Moments

Raleigh, the major league home run leader with 60, tied the score in the sixth with his ninth homer in 14 appearances at the Toronto ballpark. Kevin Gausman had held batters to 0 for 16 on splitters in the postseason before the homer by the catcher.

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

“We are a resilient squad, you know, one through nine,” Raleigh said. “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 traveled to AL East winner Toronto on the prior day after a 3-2 win at home over the Tigers to claim the Division Series in the longest winner-take-all game in MLB history.

Historic Accomplishments

The Mariners, the sole MLB franchise to not have hosted a World Series game, held Toronto to two hits after the Toronto squad had 50 hits along with 34 runs in their four-game Division Series against the New York Yankees. Miller, the winner, fanned three and issued three walks in six frames, throwing 72 pitches. The three relievers each had 1-2-3 innings, with Muñoz securing the save.

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

Springer's 21st playoff homer broke a tie with the Derek Jeter of the Yankees, placing him alone in fifth position on the career list. Raleigh's home run was his fourth in 15 at-bats against Gausman, who took the loss.

Polanco, who had the game-ending single Friday, hit a single off Brendon Little to drive in Rodríguez, who was walked by Gausman. Polanco later added another run-scoring hit against Domínguez.

Notable Contest Highlights

Eugenio Suárez doubled against the top of the right-field fence in the seventh inning against 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 bruised his right knee when he fouled a pitch off it in the first inning.