A homerun from Cal Raleigh in the sixth inning put Seattle on the board.
TORONTO, ON — For the third time in franchise history, the Mariners are playing for the American League title and a trip to the World Series.
After getting past the Detroit Tigers in a thrilling five-game series, the Mariners went to Toronto to take on the Blue Jays. Seattle came out on top in the first game, with a 3-1 final. The Mariners remain the only active franchise in Major League Baseball (MLB) that has never appeared in a World Series. They now stand 1-0 for the American League title.
The Blue Jays took an early 1-0 lead before Cal Raleigh hit a home run to tie the game in the sixth. Jorge Polanco followed with an RBI single, driving in Julio Rodríguez to put the Mariners ahead, 2-1, that same inning.
A Mariners watch party at Victory Hall in Seattle brought excited fans together for a historic moment for the Mariners. Lani Valdez, a lifetime Mariners fan said Cal Raleigh is one of her favorite players.
“His composure, his calmness. He keeps the team together.”
She said the last time this happened for the team, she was a kid.
“I was probably like [in] middle school, high school, a kid, the last time this happened,” said Valdez. “So it’s just amazing, this feeling of being older, an adult, experiencing this with my family… baseball brings everyone together.”
The Mariners face the Blue Jays in Game 2 on Monday at 2:03 p.m. PST in Toronto.
Watch pre-game and post-game coverage of Game 2 on KING 5+ with live coverage from fans in Toronto and analysis from Chris Egan.
The Mariners once looked like a team that might even fail to make the playoffs, but instead won 17 of the final 21 games of the regular season to win the American League West and clinch a top-two seed in the postseason.
There is a rivalry between these two teams, as thousands of fans from Canada descend on Seattle every time the Blue Jays play the Mariners.
The last time the Mariners were in the playoffs back in 2022, they had to get past the Blue Jays in the Wild Card round. The Mariners swept Toronto, including a remarkable comeback in Game 2.
The Mariners trailed 8-1 after five innings, but rallied with a four-run sixth and a four-run eighth to pull out a 10-9 win.
Toronto had the AL’s best record in 2025, going 94-68 under manager John Schneider. The Blue Jays’ offense is led by slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and former Houston Astros star George Springer. The pitching staff is led by Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber and Trey Yesavage, with Jeff Hoffman and Seranthony Dominguez in the bullpen.