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Cal Raleigh homered, Jorge Polanco drove in the winning run with a sixth-inning single, and the Mariners overcame the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 Sunday night as they made their return to the ALCS for the first time in 24 years.

Defensive Dominance on Display

George Springer homered on the first pitch from Miller, who then escaped a bases-threatening situation in a 27-delivery first inning. Anthony Santander singled in the second inning for the Blue Jays' sole additional hit, and Mariners pitchers set down 23 out of the final 24 Toronto hitters. The pitching quartet combined to throw just 100 deliveries less than 48 hours after the Seattle team needed 209 throws to outlast Detroit over 15 innings.

Key Offensive Plays

Raleigh, who led the major leagues with 60 homers, evened the game in the sixth with his ninth homer in 14 games at the Toronto ballpark. Kevin Gausman had previously kept batters hitless on splitters in the playoffs before the homer by the catcher.

Polanco delivered a go-ahead base hit later in the inning and contributed an run-scoring single in the eighth.

“We are a resilient squad, you know, one through nine,” Raleigh said. “Pitchers came out today, extremely impressive. They did awesome. Particularly on short rest and how many pitches they threw the other day.”

AL West champion Seattle journeyed to Toronto, the AL East champion on the prior day after a 3-2 win at home over the Tigers to claim the Division Series in the longest winner-take-all game in MLB history.

Historic Accomplishments

The Mariners, the sole MLB franchise to never host a Fall Classic game, limited Toronto to just two hits after the Blue Jays had 50 hits along with 34 runs in their four-game playoff series against the Yankees. Miller, the winner, fanned three and issued three walks in six frames, throwing 72 deliveries. The three relievers each had 1-2-3 innings, with Muñoz getting the save.

“This will be a fiercely contested series, for sure,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “These guys will be ready for it.”

Springer’s 21st postseason home run broke a tie with the Derek Jeter of the Yankees, placing him alone in fifth position on the career list. Raleigh’s homer was his fourth in 15 at-bats against Kevin Gausman, who suffered the defeat.

Polanco, the hero of Friday's game, singled against Brendon Little to drive in Rodríguez, who was walked by Gausman. Polanco added another RBI single against Seranthony Domínguez.

Memorable Contest Highlights

Eugenio Suárez doubled against the top of the right-field fence in the seventh inning against Varland. The 395-foot drive would have been a home run in half of MLB stadiums, Seattle’s field included.

Blue Jays outfielder Nathan Lukes exited in the fourth. Lukes bruised his right knee when he fouled a ball into his knee in the opening frame.