The Seattle Mariners pulled out a 3-1 road win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday, Oct. 12, winning Game 1 of their American League Championship Series matchup. Blue Jays leadoff hitter George Springer crushed a home run on the first pitch he saw, but Seattle’s pitching staff rebounded to blank Toronto for the rest of the game.
MVP candidate Cal Raleigh homered and second baseman Jorge Polanco — the hero of Seattle’s 15 inning Game 5 win over the Detroit Tigers — drove in two runs as the Mariners snatched a road win.
Here are the winners and losers from Game 1.
Winner: Bryce Miller
Mariners starting pitcher Bryce Miller could’ve come unraveled in a hurry after giving up a first pitch home run on the road. Indeed, the second at-bat of the game went for a 12 pitch walk, and Toronto managed to put two aboard with one out after another free pass.
Miller found his feet after that, escaping the jam with two quick outs, then managed to cruise through six innings on just 76 pitches. With three strikeouts and three walks, Miller didn’t showcase his best stuff, but it didn’t matter: he allowed two hits and just one earned run, his quality start more than enough to let him leave with the win after the Mariners’ offense jumped ahead in the sixth inning.
Winner: Jorge Polanco
After providing the RBI that advanced the Mariners to the ALCS, Jorge Polanco hit the game-winning single in the sixth inning, fighting off a full count fastball on the inside corner that scored Julio Rodríguez with two outs.
He then added insurance in the eighth inning, picking up a single from the other side of the plate against Seranthony Dominguez. That hit trickled past the outstretched glove of second baseman Ernie Clement into right field, stretching the Mariners’ lead to 3-1 and giving a bullpen that had to cover ten innings on Friday night more cushion to work with.
Polanco’s .231/.286/.462 slash line this postseason isn’t stellar, but when the Mariners have needed a big hit, Polanco has managed to come up with it.
Loser: Toronto’s Offense
After George Springer crushed the first pitch the Blue Jays saw over the wall in right field, Toronto managed just one hit the rest of the way, an Anthony Santander single in the second inning. The Blue Jays drew three walks but went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, the dominant offensive performance they put on against the Yankees in the Division Series disappearing entirely.
Seattle’s pitching staff threw just 100 pitches on the night: while the Blue Jays only struck out four times, quick outs killed their chances of mounting a rally.
Loser: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. entered Sunday’s game with nine hits and one walk in 18 plate appearances to begin the postseason, an altogether otherworldly performance. The slugging first baseman, who signed a $500 million contract in April, went 0-for-4 against the Mariners, hitting the ball into the dirt instead of elevating it.
Guerrero Jr. had one prime opportunity, a first inning line drive with an exit velocity of 107.2 miles per hour and an xBA of .750, but he hit it directly to Mariners’ center fielder Julio Rodríguez. On a night when their entire offense struggled to get on base, the Blue Jays could’ve used a big play from their biggest bat.
