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Cal Raleigh homered, Jorge Polanco delivered the decisive run with a sixth-inning single, and the Seattle Mariners defeated 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.

Defensive Dominance on Show

George Springer homered on the first pitch from Bryce Miller, who then escaped a two-on jam in a 27-pitch first inning. Anthony Santander singled in the second for the Blue Jays' only other hit, and Seattle pitchers set down 23 out of the final 24 Toronto hitters. The pitching quartet combined to throw just 100 deliveries under two days after the Mariners needed 209 throws to outlast the Tigers over 15 innings.

Key Batting Moments

Raleigh, the major league home run leader with 60, tied the score in the sixth with his ninth homer in 14 games at Rogers Centre. Kevin Gausman had held batters to 0 for 16 on splitters in the playoffs before the homer by the catcher.

Polanco hit a go-ahead single subsequently in the frame and added an RBI single in the eighth inning.

“We’re a tough team, you know, from top to bottom,” Raleigh said. “Our pitchers performed today, really, really impressed us. They did awesome. Particularly on short rest and how many pitches they threw the other day.”

Seattle, the AL West titleholder journeyed to AL East winner Toronto 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 Major League Baseball history.

Record Achievements

The Mariners, the sole MLB franchise to not have hosted a Fall Classic game, limited Toronto to just two hits after the Blue Jays had 50 hits along with 34 runs in their four-game Division Series against the Yankees. Miller, the winner, fanned three and issued three walks in six frames, throwing 72 pitches. The three relievers each had 1-2-3 innings, with Muñoz getting the save.

“This is going to be a hard-fought series, for sure,” Toronto manager John Schneider commented. “These guys will be ready for it.”

Springer's 21st playoff homer ended a tie with the Yankees’ Derek Jeter, placing him alone in fifth position on the career list. Raleigh’s homer was his fourth in 15 at-bats against Kevin Gausman, who took the loss.

Polanco, the hero of Friday's game, singled against Brendon Little to drive in Rodríguez, who was issued a walk by the pitcher. Polanco later added another run-scoring hit against Domínguez.

Notable Contest Moments

Eugenio Suárez doubled against the top of the right-field fence in the seventh inning against Louis Varland. The 395-foot hit would have been a homer in half of MLB stadiums, including Seattle.

Blue Jays outfielder Nathan Lukes left in the fourth inning. Lukes bruised his right knee when he fouled a ball into his knee in the first inning.