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Mariners suffer stretch of historically brutal innings in ALCS Game 6
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- Mariners suffer stretch of historically brutal innings in ALCS Game 6
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The Seattle Mariners picked the worst time to make postseason history — and not the good kind. In Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, the Mariners grounded into bases-loaded double plays in back-to-back innings, something no team had ever done before in playoff history. The miscues helped fuel the Toronto Blue Jays ' 6–2 win at Rogers Centre on Sunday night, forcing a decisive Game 7.
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Seattle had two golden opportunities early to take control, loading the bases in both the third and fourth innings. Each time, rookie Blue Jays pitcher Trey Yesavage escaped unscathed, inducing inning-ending double plays from Cal Raleigh and J.P. Crawford . In the fifth, Julio Rodríguez followed suit, grounding into another double play that killed yet another rally. Three straight frames, three crushing gut punches.
"It just felt like every time we had something going, we hit right into it," one Mariners player said postgame. "That's baseball, but man — it hurts when the season's on the line."
Blue Jays force a Game 7
Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
While Seattle stumbled, Toronto thrived. The Blue Jays fed off the raucous home crowd and their dominant record at Rogers Centre, responding to Friday's heartbreaking loss in Seattle with a statement performance. Addison Barger and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. both went deep, while Yesavage carried a shutout into the sixth inning, rolling three double plays — the same number he'd induced all season combined.
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Guerrero's fifth-inning blast, his sixth of the postseason, tied him with Joe Carter and José Bautista for the most home runs by a Blue Jay in a single postseason. His emphatic stomp on home plate after scoring again in the seventh sent the Toronto crowd into a frenzy — and a pointed message toward the Mariners' dugout.
Seattle starter Logan Gilbert couldn't match the moment. The right-hander gave up seven hits and five runs in four-plus innings, undone by Toronto's aggressive approach and his defense's miscues, including an Eugenio Suárez error that set up a two-run second inning.
The loss set up a winner-take-all Game 7 — the first in Mariners franchise history. Seattle will turn to George Kirby , who was originally lined up for this exact scenario. The pressure will be immense; Kirby surrendered eight earned runs in Game 3, tied for the most ever allowed by a starter in postseason history.
For a franchise still chasing its first World Series appearance, Monday offers both redemption and reckoning. After a night of painful missed chances and double-play heartbreak, the Mariners have one final chance to flip the script.
Related: Mariners lose Game 6 with sloppy game not seen in October since 2009
Related: Why Mariners' Dan Wilson is giving Logan Gilbert ALCS Game 6 starting nod
