Facing elimination in the American League Championship Series, the Toronto Blue Jays erupted for a dominant 13-4 win over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night at T-Mobile Park, cutting Seattle’s series lead to 2-1.
Toronto’s bats, quiet through the first two games of the series, broke out in a major way. Andrés Giménez ignited a five-run third inning with a two-run homer, the first of five Toronto home runs on the night. George Springer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alejandro Kirk, and Addison Barger also went deep as the Blue Jays turned a raucous Seattle crowd into stunned spectators.
Seattle jumped out to an early lead on Julio Rodríguez’s two-run homer in the first inning, his second straight game with a first-inning blast. But Toronto starter Shane Bieber quickly recovered, striking out eight over six innings while allowing just four hits and one walk.
The Blue Jays’ offensive surge overwhelmed Mariners starter George Kirby, who gave up eight runs on eight hits in just over four innings. Toronto scored five runs in the third, added another on Springer’s solo homer in the fourth, and kept piling on. Guerrero’s fifth-inning blast, Kirk’s three-run shot in the sixth, and a series of extra-base hits turned the game into a rout.
The win kept Toronto’s hopes alive and followed a familiar pattern: the road team has won each of the first three games of the ALCS. Historically, teams that win Game 3 on the road after falling behind 2-0 in a best-of-seven series have rallied to take the series about 27 percent of the time.
The series continues tonight with Game 4 in Seattle at 8:33 p.m. ET on FS1. Earlier in the day, the Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers will meet in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series in Los Angeles, with the Dodgers holding a 2-0 lead. First pitch is scheduled for 6:08 p.m. ET on TBS.
Source: MLB