In a pitcher’s duel that evoked memories of Seattle’s gritty playoff runs, the Mariners kicked off the 2025 American League Championship Series with a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday night at Rogers Centre. It was Seattle’s first ALCS appearance since 2001, and they wasted no time asserting dominance, leaning on a stifling bullpen and timely hitting to silence a hyped-up Toronto crowd.
The game got off to a rocky start for Mariners starter Bryce Miller, who surrendered a leadoff homer to George Springer on the very first pitch of the bottom of the first, putting Toronto up 1-0. Springer crushed a 97-mph fastball 412 feet to center, his postseason experience shining through early. Miller steadied himself, escaping a bases-loaded jam after just 27 pitches in the inning, stranding two runners and keeping the damage minimal.
From there, Seattle’s arms took over in a clinic of efficiency. Miller, Gabe Speier, Matt Brash, and closer Andrés Muñoz combined to retire 23 of the Blue Jays’ final 24 batters faced, allowing just one more hit—an Anthony Santander single in the second—and throwing a miserly 100 pitches total for the game. Toronto’s offense, which had been potent in the ALDS, went ice-cold, managing only two hits all night.
The Mariners, meanwhile, chipped away patiently against Blue Jays ace Kevin Gausman. Stymied through five innings, Seattle exploded in the top of the sixth. Catcher Cal Raleigh, who’s been a postseason terror with nine homers in 14 career games at Rogers Centre, launched a solo shot to left-center—his MLB-leading 60th of the season—to tie it at 1-1. The blast came off Gausman’s signature splitter, snapping the pitcher’s perfect 0-for-16 mark against playoff hitters with that offering. Moments later, second baseman Jorge Polanco delivered the dagger: an RBI single up the middle that scored Julio RodrÃguez from second, giving Seattle a 2-1 lead.
Polanco wasn’t done. In the eighth, he added insurance with another RBI single, this one plating J.P. Crawford to make it 3-1 and putting the game firmly in the Mariners’ grasp. Polanco’s two hits and two RBIs were the difference, showcasing his veteran poise in a high-stakes spot.
Muñoz slammed the door in the ninth, striking out the side to earn the save and cap a masterful Mariners pitching performance. Gausman took the tough-luck loss after five innings of one-run ball, but Toronto’s bats couldn’t rally behind him.
With the series now shifting to Seattle for Games 2 and 3, the Mariners carry momentum into a matchup where their home-field advantage—and that vaunted rotation—could prove even more potent. Game 2 features Logan Gilbert against Toronto’s José BerrÃos on Tuesday. If Sunday’s effort is any indication, the Blue Jays have their work cut out to even the series.
