Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The Toronto Blue Jays belted five home runs in a 13-4 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday to claw back to 2-1 in their Major League Baseball playoff series. George Springer, Andres Gimenez, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alejandro Kirk, and Addison Barger homered for the Blue Jays, who were out-scored 13-4 and out-hit 17-8 in dropping the first two games of the best-of-seven American League Championship Series at home.
But their offense came alive in Seattle, where a five-run third inning included Gimenez’s game-tying two-run home run and a two-run double from Daulton Varsho that put Toronto up 5-2. “We were ready since the first pitch,” Gimenez said. “We were aggressive.” The Mariners jumped to a 2-0 lead on Julio Rodriguez’s two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning.
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But Toronto turned the tide in the third, and their onslaught continued in the fourth as Springer blasted a pitch from Seattle starting pitcher George Kirby over the center field wall for a home run that put Toronto up 6-2. Springer’s 22nd career postseason home run moved him into a tie with Bernie Williams for fourth-most in the playoffs. Guerrero opened the fifth inning with a 406-foot blast to center field off Kirby. Guerrero’s shot was out of the reach of leaping Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez and spelled the end of the night for Kirby.
“This is a (Blue Jays) team that has swung the bat well all year, and they didn’t miss much tonight,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “They were able to get to (Kirby). Our guys, we get ahead, that’s what we do…but you still have to make good-quality pitches and there were some that caught a little bit of the plate.” Ernie Clement added a run-scoring single off reliever Carlos Vargas as the Blue Jays pushed the lead to 8-2, and Kirk’s three-run homer in the sixth inning swelled Toronto’s lead to 12-2. “It’s kind of been what we did all year,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “No one expected us to win the division, no one expected us to be here, and I think the guys take that to heart. I couldn’t be prouder of the way they went about today.”
– Momentum –
Randy Arozarena and Cal Raleigh delivered back-to-back home runs for the Mariners in the bottom of the eighth inning to revive the crowd at T-Mobile Park. But Barger made his first hit of the series a home run to right center field in the top of the ninth as the Jays romped home. Toronto piled up 18 hits against Kirby and three Mariners relievers and will try to level the series on Thursday in Seattle. “Momentum can be a real thing,” Schneider said. “We’re going to approach tomorrow like the series is 0-0 and continue to try to do everything we can to win tomorrow.”
The winner of the series will face either the Milwaukee Brewers or Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. The Dodgers, trying to become the first team to repeat as World Series champions since the New York Yankees won the 1998-2000 crowns, lead the Brewers 2-0 in the National League Championship Series.
© 2024 AFP
