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Cal Raleigh homered, Jorge Polanco drove in the decisive run with a sixth frame single, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Blue Jays 3-1 on Sunday evening as they made their return to the AL Championship Series for the initial occasion in two dozen years.

Defensive Dominance on Show

George Springer homered on the opening delivery from Miller, who then got out of a two-on jam in a 27-delivery opening frame. Anthony Santander singled in the second inning for Toronto’s only other 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 throws to outplay Detroit over 15 innings.

Crucial Offensive Moments

Raleigh, who led the major leagues with 60 homers, evened the game in the sixth inning with his ninth homer in 14 games at the Toronto ballpark. Kevin Gausman had previously kept batters hitless on splitters in the playoffs before the homer by the catcher.

Polanco hit a go-ahead single subsequently in the frame and added an RBI single in the eighth inning.

“We’re a tough team, you know, one through nine,” Raleigh said. “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 win at home over the Tigers to win the Division Series in the longest winner-take-all game in MLB history.

Historic Achievements

Seattle, the only MLB team to not have hosted a World Series game, limited Toronto to just two hits after the Blue Jays had 50 hits along with 34 runs in their four-game playoff series against the Yankees. Miller, who earned the win, struck out three and walked three in six innings, throwing 72 pitches. The bullpen trio each had 1-2-3 innings, with Muñoz getting the save.

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

Springer's 21st playoff homer ended a tie with the Yankees’ Derek Jeter, moving him into sole possession of fifth place on the all-time list. Raleigh’s homer was his fourth in 15 appearances against Kevin Gausman, who took the loss.

Polanco, the hero of Friday's game, hit a single off Brendon Little to drive in Rodríguez, who was walked by Gausman. Polanco added another RBI single against Domínguez.

Memorable Game Highlights

Eugenio Suárez doubled against the top of the right-field fence in the seventh inning against Louis Varland. The 395-foot drive 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 pitch off it in the opening frame.