Mariners beat Jays 10-3 and move to within 2 wins of World Series

The Mariners manhandled a very good Blue Jays team in Game Two and now return to Seattle with a first World Series berth firmly in sight.

Heading into this AL Championship Series, if someone had said one team was going to be two-hit or lose by seven runs in either of the opening two games, Mariners fans would be forgiven for thinking this fate awaited their team. After all, the M’s were coming off a 15-inning slog less than 48 hours before Game One versus the Blue Jays, were running on fumes particularly with their pitching staff, and had to travel to Toronto on their off-day on a flight which was also delayed.

Instead, it was the Blue Jays who ended up suffering not one but both of the described scenarios, including being manhandled 10-3 in Game Two on Monday at Rogers Centre. It’s not that the Mariners didn’t have the capability to win the opening two games in Toronto, but to do so and in the manner they have is quite simply remarkable given the obstacles they faced.

Aside from the aforementioned AL Division Series Game Five against the Tigers, the Mariners headed over the border to face a Blue Jays team with the best AL home record this year at 54-27 that was also one win off the Phillies’ Major League-leading 55-26 mark. The Blue Jays had also beaten the Yankees by a combined 23-8 in the two home games played in their previous playoff round.

However, this didn’t faze a Mariners team with an indomitable spirit, fight and togetherness that won’t be beaten anywhere else. Instead it was them doing the beating, with their seven-run win in Game Two representing the Blue Jays’ biggest home loss since the Red Sox defeated them 10-2 at the end of April.

Julio Rodríguez gets things rolling for the Mariners

The Mariners were still riding the wave of their pitching staff’s masterclass the day before in Game One, and Julio Rodríguez got them off to the ideal start on Monday afternoon. His three-run homer in the top of the first made it 3-0 early, a welcome moment for a player continuing to build his superstar resume.

This also proved to be much-needed at that juncture for the Mariners, as the Blue Jays responded almost immediately in the bottom of the first with two runs of their own to pull to within 3-2. And when Nathan Lukes hit a RBI single in the bottom of the second to tie the game at 3-3, it seemed set up to be a high-scoring affair.

It was clear almost from the word go that Logan Gilbert just didn’t have it on the day, which was an entirely conceivable possibility. He had pitched two-plus relief innings just two days earlier and started impressively just three days before then in Game Three of the ALDS against the Tigers.

Not helping the situation was that the umpires were calling a tight strike zone, that was almost farcical. Although it should be noted this was negatively impacting both times, plus Gilbert would never allow this to be used as an excuse with no one being more demanding of themselves.

In any event, the 2024 All-star was pulled after just three innings, having allowed five hits, a walk and three runs (two earned). This was the right call to make, and it was over to the bullpen to attempt to replicate the the heroics displayed in the previous two games for the Mariners.

M’s bullpen carries on where it left off in Game One

Eduard Bazardo achieved just this as he continued a phenomenal postseason which has seen him pitch in all seven of the Mariners games to date, with just the one blemish coming in his tough outing in Game Four in Detroit. He was almost unstoppable on Monday, as he allowed just one hit over two scoreless innings.

This was followed by a similarly impressive outing by the erratic but talented Carlos Vargas, who only gave up one walk in two scoreless innings. At the same time, the Mariners lineup was putting together their best offensive outing yet in these playoffs.

The M’s ignited things in the top of the fifth and wouldn’t you know it was that man Jorge Polanco again, who just can’t stop proving everyone wrong that criticized the decision to re-sign him after a poor 2024 campaign. He has been on fire of late and continued this with a three-run home run which gave the Mariners the lead again, this time at 6-3.

Polanco’s success during these playoffs has been a joy to watch, including two solo homers off All-World Tarik Skubal in Game Two of the ALDS and the walk-off hit to clinch the decisive Game Five. He had the go-ahead RBI in Game One against the Blue Jays and hit three-run bomb on Monday to reestablished a Mariners’ lead they would not relinquish.

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Josh Naylor carves out his own piece of history

J.P. Crawford hit a RBI single in the top of the sixth to increase the advantage to 7-3, before the Mariners really blew the game open an inning later. Josh Naylor hit a two-run blast and then Crawford recorded his second RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly to center field, which made it 10-3 to the M’s.

Fan favorite Naylor’s home run was additionally notable for being his first in the postseason for the Mariners. Of extra significance, he became the first Canadian-born player in Major League history to homer in a postseason game as a visiting player in Canada.

Naylor has had a galvanizing impact on the Mariners since arriving in Seattle in a trade from the Diamondbacks, and the calls to re-sign him to a long-term deal only continue to grow. As per Adam Jude of The Seattle Times, postgame he said:

“I love playing there. It’s been super awesome. I’ve gotten so many compliments from friends who have watched me play or ex-teammates I’ve played with or even just opponents who I’m playing against, like, how awesome it is in Seattle and how cool the fan base is and how they just ride-or-die Seattle, and it’s super awesome to be a part of.”

The door wasn’t entirely shut for the Blue Jays, but it was only ajar when Emerson Hancock came in to pitch the final two innings for the Mariners. He caused some anxiety among fans with three walks with this being his first action since Sept. 25, but ultimately he allowed no hits or runs and finally closed that door for the final scoreline of 10-3 to the M’s.

The odds are now with the Mariners but no easing up

With the win, the Mariners now find themselves in a favorable position as they head back to Seattle for three games and with the opportunity to clinch their first ever World Series on home grass. Of the 93 teams taking a 2-0 lead in any best-of-seven postseason series, only 15 have failed to go on and win the series.

Not that you should expect the Mariners to even remotely take anything for granted, with them displaying a mixture of a business-like attitude and a singular focus which is impressive to witness. As per Jude’s colleague Ryan Divish, Cal Raleigh said:

“With the guys here, we’re not done. We’re so hungry. We’re going to just keep our head down because it’s still gonna be a tough series. We’ve still got a lot of work to do, and we don’t want to get satisfied.”

It’s been established for a while that this is a special group, with an ideal blend of supreme talent, excellent work ethic, close-knit mentality and fighting spirit arguably never seen before in franchise history. Now, it’s up to this Mariners team to fulfil their destiny, finish the job and reward a fanbase which has suffered through more than most but toughed it out over nearly five decades of baseball in Seattle.

Photos court​‌esy of Tim Rodgers Photography

Are you ready to believe that the long wait for a World Series berth is finally over for the Mariners? Or are you not prepared to take anything for granted until the job is actually done? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.