đ Share this article Raleigh Homers as Seattle Mariners Overpower Blue Jays in Much-Anticipated Comeback to ALCS Cal Raleigh blasted a home run, Jorge Polanco delivered the decisive run with a sixth-inning single, and the Seattle Mariners overcame the Blue Jays 3-1 Sunday night as they made their return to the AL Championship Series for the initial occasion in two dozen years. Pitching Mastery on Display George Springer launched a homer on the opening delivery from Miller, who then escaped a bases-threatening situation in a 27-pitch first inning. Anthony Santander singled in the second for Torontoâs only other hit, and Mariners pitchers set down 23 of the Blue Jaysâ final 24 batters. Miller, Gabe Speier, Matt Brash and AndrĂ©s Muñoz combined to throw just 100 pitches less than 48 hours after the Seattle team needed 209 throws to outplay the Tigers over 15 innings. Crucial Batting Plays Raleigh, the major league home run leader with 60, evened the game in the sixth with his ninth homer in 14 games at Rogers Centre. Kevin Gausman had previously kept batters hitless on splitters in the playoffs before the home run by the catcher. Polanco delivered a go-ahead base hit later in the inning and added an RBI single in the eighth. âWe are a resilient squad, you know, one through nine,â Raleigh said. âPitchers came out today, extremely impressive. They did awesome. Particularly on short rest and how many pitches they threw the previous game.â Seattle, the AL West titleholder journeyed to Toronto, the AL East champion on Saturday after a 3-2 win at home over the Detroit Tigers to claim the Division Series in the longest winner-take-all game in MLB history. Record Achievements The Mariners, the sole MLB franchise to not have hosted a World Series game, limited Toronto to just two hits after the Toronto squad had 50 hits and 34 runs in their four-game Division Series against the New York Yankees. Miller, who earned the win, struck out three and walked three in six innings, throwing 72 pitches. The three relievers each had perfect innings, with Muñoz getting the save. âThis will be a fiercely contested series, man,â Toronto manager John Schneider said. âThese guys will be ready for it.â Springer's 21st playoff homer broke a tie with the Derek Jeter of the Yankees, placing him alone in fifth position on the career list. Raleigh's home run 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 drive in RodrĂguez, who was issued a walk by the pitcher. Polanco later added another run-scoring hit against Seranthony DomĂnguez. Notable Contest Highlights Eugenio SuĂĄrez hit a double against the top of the right-field fence in the seventh against Louis Varland. The 395-foot hit would have been a homer in half of MLB stadiums, Seattleâs field included. Toronto outfielder Nathan Lukes exited in the fourth. Lukes sustained a right knee bruise when he fouled a ball into his knee in the first inning.