Blue Jays Complete Comeback to Win American League Pennant

Things were looking gloomy for the Toronto Blue Jays after the first two games of the ALCS. The Seattle Mariners had beaten them in the first two games in Toronto, and the series was shifting to Seattle for the next three games, if it went that far. But then Toronto’s offense started scoring, beating the Mariners 13-4 and 8-2 in the next two games. Seattle recovered to win Game 5 6-2 and send the series back to Toronto, with the Mariners only needing to win one of the next two to clinch their first American League Pennant.

But the Blue Jays got off to a 5-0 lead in Game 6 and would go on to win 6-2, setting up a winner take all Game 7 on October 20th.

The clubs traded runs in the first inning. Julio Rodriguez hit a solo home run in the third to give the Mariners a 2-1 lead. In the fifth, Seattle’s Cal Raleigh, who had the greatest all around season by a catcher in major league history (60 home runs, 125 RBIs, and a .996 fielding percentage with only four errors and zero passed balls), belted another solo home run, giving Seattle a 3-1 lead.

Bryan Woo, normally a starter, entered the game in relief for Seattle in the bottom of the seventh, with the Mariners just nine outs away from their first World Series. Woo walked Addison Barger, and allowed a single to Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Andres Gimenez sacrificed the two runners to second and third, setting the stage for George Springer.

Reliever Eduard Bazardo was brought in to face Springer. The Toronto DH took ball 1, and on the second pitch, belted a three run homer, and the Jays led 4-3. With the score remaining 4-3 going into the ninth, Jays closer Jeff Hoffman came in and struck out the side, giving Toronto its third American League pennant and World Series appearance.

The Toronto Blue Jays franchise first season was 1977—the same year the Seattle Mariners began play. The Jays are 2-0 in World Series, beating the Atlanta Braves in 1992 and the Philadelphia Phillies in 1993, both in six games. They will host Game 1 of the 2025 World Series against the defending World Series champions Los Angeles Dodgers on October 24th