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Cal Raleigh homered, Jorge Polanco drove in the go-ahead run with a sixth frame single, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Blue Jays 3-1 Sunday night as they made their return to the ALCS for the first time in 24 years.

Pitching Mastery on Show

George Springer homered on the first pitch from Bryce Miller, who then got out of a bases-threatening situation in a 27-delivery first inning. Anthony Santander singled in the second for the Blue Jays' sole additional 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 Seattle team needed 209 throws to outplay Detroit over 15 innings.

Key Offensive Moments

Raleigh, who led the major leagues with 60 homers, evened the game in the sixth inning with his ninth home run in 14 games at Rogers Centre. Kevin Gausman had held batters to 0 for 16 on splitters in the postseason before the homer by the catcher.

Polanco delivered a go-ahead base hit subsequently in the frame and contributed an run-scoring single in the eighth.

“We are a resilient squad, you know, from top to bottom,” Raleigh said. “Pitchers came out today, extremely impressive. They were outstanding. Especially short rest and how many pitches they threw the previous game.”

Seattle, the AL West titleholder journeyed to Toronto, the AL East champion on the prior day after a 3-2 win at home over the Tigers to claim the Division Series in the most extended decisive contest in MLB history.

Historic Accomplishments

The Mariners, the only MLB team to not have hosted a World Series game, held Toronto to 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, fanned three and issued three walks in six frames, throwing 72 pitches. The bullpen trio 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 said. “Our team will be prepared for it.”

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

Polanco, the hero of Friday's game, hit a single off Brendon Little to drive in Julio Rodríguez, who was walked by the pitcher. Polanco added another RBI single against Domínguez.

Memorable Game Moments

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

Blue Jays outfielder Nathan Lukes exited in the fourth. Lukes sustained a right knee bruise when he fouled a ball into his knee in the opening frame.