The Toronto Blue Jays are headed back to the World Series.
It has been a long and winding road for the franchise to get here, but on Monday night they beat the Seattle Mariners 4-3 in Game 7 of the ALCS, clinching the series by the same score. Toronto is returning to the Fall Classic for the first time since 1993, when it won the second of back-to-back titles.
George Springer gives Toronto an October moment
Springer's magical season continued as the 2017 World Series MVP came up big for the Blue Jays when they needed it most.
Toronto trailed Seattle 3-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, and hadn't managed much offensively until that point. Mariners righty Bryan Woo walked Addison Barger to open the frame, then Isiah Kiner-Falefa singled to center, moving Barger to second. Andres Gimenez moved both runners over with a sacrifice bunt, opening the door for Springer to step into the spotlight.
Seattle pulled Woo, replacing him with Eduard Bazardo, and Springer stepped up to face him. Bazardo's first offering was off the plate inside for a ball. His second drifted over the plate on the inner half, and Springer demolished it. He hammered the ball over the left center field wall for a go-ahead three-run home run, sending the Rogers Centre crowd into a frenzy.
It was just the latest big moment in an incredible bounce-back season for Springer. He hit a career-high .309 with 32 home runs, and 84 RBIs. Springer's .959 OPS ranked fourth in baseball, and his 166 wRC+ was also a career-best. The 5.2 fWAR he racked up was his best mark since 2019.
Now he has a chance to get another ring, and he'll be facing the Los Angeles Dodgers, who he topped with the Astros back in 2017.
Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez heroics not enough
The Mariners needed their big guns to be firing if they wanted to beat the Blue Jays in Toronto Monday night. They got what they needed from Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodriguez, but it wasn't enough.
Rodriguez led off the game with a double and scored on a Josh Naylor single to give Seattle an early 1-0 lead. Then he blasted a solo home run in the top of the third inning to help his team to a 2-1 advantage. Raleigh followed with a solo shot of his own in the top of the fifth. They staked the Mariners to a 3-1 advantage, but it didn't hold.
The men occupying the top two spots in Seattle's lineup combined to go 3-for-8 with two home runs, scored all three of Seattle's runs and worked one walk while striking out twice. Naylor, the No. 3 hitter was 1-for-3 with an RBI and a walk. The top of the order did its job. It wasn't enough.
Raleigh has a legitimate argument as the American League MVP, but on Monday night the Big Dumper's big bat wasn't enough to get the Mariners to their first World Series.
Blue Jays bullpen locks it down
To win a Game 7, a team usually either needs a stellar start or a lockdown performance from its bullpen. Toronto got the latter on Monday night.
Shane Bieber started and battled through 3 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and seven hits while striking out five and walking one. After that, the Blue Jays' bullpen allowed just a single hit over the ensuing 5 1/3 innings. Yes, Louis Varland made a mistake that Raleigh launched into the stands, but he's hardly alone in doing that this year. Combining the regular season and the postseason, Seattle's catcher belted an AL-record 65 home runs this season.
After that, the combination of Seranthony Domínguez, Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, and Jeff Hoffman combined to shut Seattle's lineup down. Gausman had to work around three walks in his lone inning, but other than that they were perfect. Hoffman struck out all three batters in the top of the ninth, including fanning Rodriguez to end the game and Seattle's hopes.
Toronto's bullpen had a combined ERA of 3.98 during the regular season, which ranked eighth in the American League. They've largely been bad in the postseason, as that number has ballooned to 5.52. But on Monday night, they did what they had to do to get a win and lead their team back to the World Series.
Game 1 is set for Friday night at the Rogers Centre.
