4 Takeaways From the Blue Jays’ ALCS Sport 6 Win Over the Mariners

[ad_1] Whereas the Nationwide League Championship Collection was determined with the minimal, the AL counterpart will go the utmost.

With an opportunity to achieve the World Collection for the primary time of their franchise’s historical past Sunday evening in Toronto, the Mariners had been stifled in Sport 6 of the ALCS by a 22-year-old rookie starter who had different concepts in a 6-2 Blue Jays win, establishing a winner-take-all Sport 7 on Monday evening.

Listed here are my takeaways:

1. With the season on the road, Jays’ rookie wins the battle The final time Trey Yesavage and Logan Gilbert confronted off in Sport 2, neither left with a formidable line. Yesavage was unable to baffle Blue Jays hitters together with his splitter the way in which he did towards the Yankees within the American League Division Collection, whereas Gilbert regarded rusty coming off simply two days of relaxation after being known as upon in reduction to assist end off the Tigers within the ALDS.

With 5 days off earlier than they confronted off once more, the benefit would seemingly go to the veteran, Gilbert, and never the 22-year-old making an attempt to save lots of Toronto’s season in his sixth profession big-league look. However Yesavage was up for the problem.

"Plenty of guts for a younger man," stated Blue Jays supervisor John Schneider.

(Picture by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Photos)

After getting simply two whiffs on his splitter in Sport 2, Yesavage received 10 in Sport 6 whereas placing out seven. He received the ball on the bottom when he wanted to (we’ll get to that later) and held the Mariners scoreless by his first 5 innings earlier than operating into bother within the sixth. By then, Toronto already had the higher hand. And Gilbert was lengthy gone.

The Blue Jays excel at placing the ball in play, making them a formidable foe for a pitcher in Gilbert who had the best strikeout fee within the American League this 12 months. After tagging Gilbert for 3 runs (two earned) on 5 hits over three innings in Sport 2, they poured on 5 runs (4 earned) on seven hits over four-plus innings in Sport 5 to once more finish the evening early for the Mariners’ standout right-hander.

2. Mariners seeing double Yesavage had solely made three big-league appearances within the common season and two within the postseason earlier than Sunday, however in that point he had not gotten a single double-play grounder.

After Sport 6 of the ALCS, he now has three.

After the Blue Jays tacked on the primary two runs of the evening within the second, the Mariners had been threatening to reply after they loaded the bases with one out for his or her MVP contender. Two nights prior, it was Cal Raleigh’s game-tying house run within the eighth inning of Sport 5 that set the scene for Eugenio Suarez’s late heroics.

However Raleigh wasn’t in a position to play the identical function Sunday with one other probability to place the Mariners again within the sport’s driver’s seat. He received a splitter to hit within the zone from Yesavage and hit it exhausting however on the bottom to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who began a 3-6-1 double play to flee.

That might turn into a theme.

The Mariners discovered themselves in the identical spot an inning later with the bases loaded and one out. This time, one other splitter from Yesavage was executed expertly low and out of the zone, getting J.P. Crawford to roll into an inning-ending double play.

Within the fifth, Yesavage made it three straight inning-ending double performs when he received Julio Rodriguez to place one on the bottom. The Mariners completed the evening hitless of their lone two alternatives with runners in scoring place.

3. With probability to make franchise historical past, Mariners tighten up It was the primary time the Mariners had ever been inside a sport of advancing to the World Collection of their franchise’s historical past.

And on Sunday evening, Seattle regarded like a crew conscious of that reality.

On offense, the Mariners grounded into three double performs. And on protection, they dedicated three errors.

Blue Jays capitalize on Mariners' errors, scoring two runs and taking early lead Within the second inning, successful within the hole from Daulton Varsho popped out of heart fielder Julio Rodriguez’s glove, permitting time for Varsho to get to second. One batter later, Ernie Clement hit a tough grounder that popped out of third baseman Eugenio Suárez’s glove, permitting him to achieve on the error and put two on. Each runners ended up scoring. Suárez made up for the sooner blunder with a superb diving play on a 116-mph grounder from Guerrero with the bases loaded to avoid wasting runs and finish the inning, however the injury was achieved.

The uncharacteristic miscues would proceed to plague the Mariners. Within the third, Leo Rivas hit a ball off the right-field wall however was held to a single when J.P. Crawford was unable to get to 3rd as he waited to see if the ball can be caught. The Mariners didn’t rating in that body.

Within the seventh, it felt just like the dagger when a ball kicked away from Raleigh, whose throw to 3rd base was low and large and sailed into left discipline, permitting the Blue Jays so as to add some respiratory room as Guerrero got here house to attain.

4. That’s a Vlad man No matter how Sport 7 goes, Guerrero’s playoff show will reside in his crew’s historical past books.

Guerrero launched his postseason franchise document sixth house run of the postseason with a solo shot to begin the fifth, ending Gilbert’s evening and persevering with to reward the Blue Jays for his or her $500 million dedication.

(Picture by Daniel Shirey/MLB Pictures by way of Getty Photos)

Two innings later, he took off for third base, received in safely, then scooted house on a throwing error. He clapped his fingers as he stepped on house plate, getting Toronto one step nearer to their first World Collection appearances since 1993.

The Blue Jays famous person was 2-for-4 on Sunday and is now slashing .447/.522/1.000 this postseason, main all gamers in hits, homers and RBIs.

4 ½. What's subsequent? Whereas the Blue Jays took care of the Yankees in 4 video games within the ALDS, Seattle wanted all 5 video games — and 15 innings within the deciding Sport 5 — to get rid of the Tigers.

Now, if the Mariners wish to make it to their franchise’s first ever World Collection, they’ll should go the space once more. The Blue Jays, in the meantime, wish to make it to their first World Collection in 32 years. The winner will face the Dodgers within the World Collection.

'Sport 7, give all of it you have got' 😤 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on Blue Jays CLUTCH win vs. Mariners In that aforementioned ALDS Sport 5, Mariners starters George Kirby, Gilbert and Luis Castillo all pitched. Anticipate all fingers on deck as soon as once more. Groups that held a 3-2 collection lead in a seven-game postseason collection have gained the collection 69.6% of the time, together with 70.8% of the time within the League Championship Collection.

Rowan Kavner is an MLB author for FOX Sports activities. He beforehand coated the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved again to the West Coast in 2014. Comply with him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.

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