Guerrero hits sixth postseason homer and Blue Jays beat Mariners 6-2 to drive Sport 7 of ALCS

[ad_1] TORONTO — Look dad, Sport 7!

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his sixth residence run this postseason, rookie Trey Yesavage struck out seven in 5 2/3 innings and the Toronto Blue Jays pushed the American League Championship Sequence to the restrict by beating the sloppy Seattle Mariners 6-2 on Sunday evening.

The AL pennant shall be determined Monday evening in Toronto, the second Sport 7 in Blue Jays historical past. Toronto misplaced to Kansas Metropolis within the 1985 ALCS.

“Acquired to take pleasure in it, man. That is what we join,” Blue Jays supervisor John Schneider mentioned. “It’s particular and distinctive, however it's a must to take a look at it as a recreation.”

For one well-known baseball household, it'll even be a primary. Guerrero’s father, Corridor of Fame outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, by no means performed in a postseason Sport 7 throughout his 16-year profession.

“My dad was telling me, Sport 7 is give all of it you might have,” the Toronto slugger mentioned.

Seattle, the one huge league staff and not using a pennant, will play a Sport 7 for the primary time. The winner faces the NL champion Los Angeles Dodgers within the World Sequence starting Friday.

“Win or go residence,” Mariners heart fielder Julio Rodríguez mentioned. “We’re going to put every thing on the market.”

Addison Barger homered and drove in three early runs for the Blue Jays, who turned three double performs behind Yesavage — two of them to flee bases-loaded jams.

That made Toronto the primary staff to induce consecutive bases-loaded, inning-ending double performs in a postseason recreation, and solely the fourth staff to show two in a single postseason recreation.

“I knew my protection had my again,” Yesavage mentioned.

Toronto additionally took benefit of Seattle’s season-high three errors. By comparability, the Blue Jays have made 4 errors in 10 playoff video games.

“Balls simply sort of out and in of the glove there that put a pair additional guys on base,” Mariners supervisor Dan Wilson mentioned. “Sadly, it led to some runs.”

Guerrero’s sixth profession postseason homer — all this 12 months — tied him with José Bautista and Joe Carter for probably the most in Blue Jays historical past.

“That is what you search for from one of many elite gamers within the recreation,” Schneider mentioned.

Bautista threw out the ceremonial first pitch earlier than the sport.

Toronto had misplaced its earlier 4 video games when going through postseason elimination. That streak stretched to Sport 5 of the 2016 ALCS towards Cleveland and included wild-card spherical losses to Tampa Bay in 2020, Seattle in 2022 and Minnesota in 2023.

Guerrero’s leadoff homer within the fifth made it 5-0 and chased Mariners starter Logan Gilbert. The precise-hander allowed 4 earned runs and 7 hits in four-plus innings.

“I believed he had a superb fastball, particularly early,” Wilson mentioned. “His cut up was good at occasions. It is a robust lineup they usually did what they needed to do to get the ball in play.”

Yesavage took a shutout into the sixth. He was charged with two runs and 6 hits, 5 of them singles. 5 of his strikeouts got here on his split-finger fastball, as did each double-play grounders with the bases loaded.

“I simply believed in myself. I do know my stuff performs at this stage,” Yesavage mentioned. “I do know the protection behind me goes to play at the perfect of their talents, and getting three double performs in back-to-back-to-back innings was enormous.”

The 22-year-old Yesavage threw a season-high 31 splitters. He bought 10 whiffs on splitters and 5 extra on sliders.

“He brings the power,” Guerrero mentioned. “He’s younger. He needs to win so dangerous.”

Three of Yesavage’s six main league begins have come within the playoffs. He’s gained twice this postseason after profitable certainly one of three outings through the common season.

Louis Varland bought 4 outs and Jeff Hoffman struck out 4 over two hitless innings to finish it.

The Mariners used two walks and a single to load the bases towards Yesavage within the third however had been denied when slugger Cal Raleigh grounded right into a 3-6-1 double play began by Guerrero and accomplished by Yesavage overlaying first base. Raleigh’s first-pitch grounder got here off his bat at 101 mph.

“Underappreciated, I feel, is how Vlad can play actually deep due to his arm,” Schneider mentioned. “In that scenario, too, you want some wiggle room for a man that hits the ball actually laborious.”

Raleigh completed 0 for 4 with three strikeouts.

Seattle got here up empty once more after one other bases-loaded alternative within the fourth when J.P. Crawford grounded right into a 4-6-3 double play.

The Mariners broke via and chased Yesavage within the sixth. Josh Naylor’s solo shot was his third residence run of the playoffs. Yesavage exited after Randy Arozarena’s base hit, and Eugenio Suárez greeted Varland with a bloop RBI single.

Toronto took benefit of fielding errors by Rodríguez in heart discipline and Suárez at third base to attain twice within the second, when Barger and Isiah Kiner-Falefa had RBI singles.

Ernie Clement hit a two-out triple off the left-field wall within the third and scored when Barger homered, his second of the postseason.

George Springer began at designated hitter for the Blue Jays and went 0 for 4 with a stroll. Springer exited within the seventh inning of Friday’s Sport 5 loss in Seattle after he was hit on the suitable kneecap by a 95.6 mph pitch from Bryan Woo.

Guerrero was hit by a pitch from Seattle reliever Matt Brash within the seventh. Guerrero moved to second on Alejandro Kirk’s single and was advancing on a wild pitch when he scored on Raleigh’s throwing error.

Up subsequent Toronto is anticipated to start out RHP Shane Bieber on Monday evening. Bieber allowed two runs and 4 hits over six innings in Sport 3, a 13-4 win for the Blue Jays. He struck out eight and walked one as he bounced again from a poor outing towards the Yankees within the Division Sequence.