The Toronto Blue Jays will meet their enlargement cousins within the American League Championship Collection after the Seattle Mariners received the deciding Sport 5 of their Division Collection with the Detroit Tigers 3-2 in 15 innings on Friday.
It was the longest winner-take-all-game in Main League Baseball post-season historical past.
Dealing with a full rely, Jorge Polanco hit a single off Tommy Kahnle to attain J.P. Crawford. Neither workforce had scored since Seattle tied the sport at 2-2 within the seventh till then.
The perfect-of-seven American League Championship Collection will kick off Sunday with Sport 1 at 8:03 p.m. ET in Toronto. The Blue Jays then host Sport 2 on Monday earlier than the collection switches to Seattle on Wednesday.
The collection is a matchup of the highest two seeds within the American League. Toronto received the AL East title and completed first within the league with a 94-68 file, whereas a late surge moved Seattle previous Houston and into prime spot within the AL West at 90-72. Each groups had byes within the Wild Card spherical.
Toronto posted a 4-2 file towards the Mariners this season, together with their first sweep in Seattle since 1991 in a Could 11th of September collection.
The Mariners took two of three from Toronto at Rogers Centre from April 18-20.
Each groups got here into the league in 1977. The Jays grew to become a contending workforce a lot faster, making it to their first ALCS in 1985 and profitable back-to-back World Collection in 1992 and ’93.
The Mariners did not make the post-season till 1995, the primary 12 months Main League Baseball expanded the playoff format to incorporate the Division Collection spherical.
They’ve by no means performed in a World Collection, with their final of three appearances within the ALCS coming in 2001.
The Mariners do have head-to-head post-season bragging rights, sweeping the Jays in a Wild Card Collection in 2022.
Toronto is coming off a 3-1 win over New York in an ALDS that noticed stellar pitching performances from Kevin Gausman and Trey Yesavage. Offensive contributions got here all through the batting order, led by Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s .529 batting common and 9 RBIs.
The Toronto Blue Jays are transferring on to the American League Championship Collection, and followers try to land tickets whereas they wait to be taught who the workforce will face within the subsequent spherical of the Main League Baseball playoffs because the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners stay up for a winner-take-all Sport 5.
The Jays will hope to get some reinforcements because it seeks its third AL pennant.
Star shortstop Bo Bichette has been progressing after lacking the top of the season and the ALDS with a knee harm. Pitchers Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt might additionally determine into Toronto’s ALCS roster, which is predicted to be introduced Sunday.
The Mariners boast a power-hitting dynamo in catcher Cal Raleigh, who hit a major-league-leading 60 dwelling runs this season and had an AL-best 125 RBIs.
He was one among three Mariners all-stars in 2025, together with outfielder Randy Arozarena and right-hander Bryan Woo.
Arozarena had a career-high 27 dwelling runs in addition to 31 stolen bases and 76 RBIs. Woo, who had a 15-7 file with a 2.94 earned-run common and 198 strikeouts, missed the ALDS with pectoral irritation however might be prepared for the ALCS.
The Pacific Northwest has historically been a house away from dwelling for the Blue Jays, with followers from British Columbia cramming into T-Cellular Park for Toronto’s yearly go to to Seattle.
Nevertheless, pricier playoff tickets and a possible restrict on on-line gross sales to out-of-region followers might make the confines friendlier for the house workforce.
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