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Cal Raleigh homered, Jorge Polanco delivered the go-ahead run with a sixth frame single, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 on Sunday evening as they made their return to the ALCS for the initial occasion in 24 years.

Pitching Dominance on Show

George Springer homered on the opening delivery from Miller, who then got out of a two-on jam in a 27-pitch first inning. Anthony Santander hit a single in the second inning for the Blue Jays' only other hit, and Mariners pitchers retired 23 out of the final 24 Toronto hitters. Miller, Gabe Speier, Matt Brash and Andrés Muñoz combined to throw just 100 pitches under two days after the Seattle team needed 209 throws to outlast the Tigers over 15 innings.

Key Offensive Moments

Raleigh, the major league home run leader with 60, evened the game in the sixth inning with his ninth home run in 14 appearances at the Toronto ballpark. Kevin Gausman had previously kept batters hitless on splitters in the postseason before the homer by the catcher.

Polanco hit a go-ahead single subsequently in the frame and contributed an run-scoring single in the eighth.

“We are a resilient squad, as you know, from top to bottom,” Raleigh stated. “Our pitchers performed today, really, really impressed us. They were outstanding. Especially short rest and how many pitches they threw the previous game.”

Seattle, the AL West titleholder journeyed to Toronto, the AL East champion on Saturday after a 3-2 win at home over the Tigers to claim the Division Series in the most extended decisive contest in Major League Baseball history.

Record Accomplishments

Seattle, the sole MLB franchise to never host a Fall Classic game, held Toronto to two hits after the Blue Jays had 50 hits along with 34 runs in their four-game playoff series against the New York Yankees. Miller, the winner, struck out three and walked three in six innings, throwing 72 deliveries. The three relievers each had perfect innings, with Muñoz getting the save.

“This is going to be a hard-fought series, man,” Toronto manager John Schneider commented. “Our team will be prepared for it.”

Springer's 21st playoff homer ended a tie with the Yankees’ Derek Jeter, placing him alone in fifth position on the career list. Raleigh’s homer was his fourth in 15 appearances against Gausman, who suffered the defeat.

Polanco, who had the game-ending single Friday, hit a single off Brendon Little to bring home Julio Rodríguez, who was walked by Gausman. Polanco added another RBI single against Domínguez.

Notable Game Highlights

Eugenio Suárez hit a double off the top of the right-field wall in the seventh inning against Louis Varland. The 395-foot hit would have been a homer 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 opening frame.