SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners went into Wednesday with high expectations, hoping to pick up a third ALCS win for the first time in franchise history. After storming to a 2-0 series lead against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Mariners were looking to extend their lead with a win at home.
Instead, it was the Blue Jays’ night. Toronto demolished Seattle pitching en route to a 13-4 victory in which the Blue Jays’ bats repeatedly silenced the Seattle crowd.
First baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 4-for-4 with a single, two doubles and a home run, plus an intentional walk. And veteran starter Shane Bieber held Seattle down on offense, recording eight strikeouts while allowing two runs and four hits across the first six innings.
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At first, it seemed like Seattle’s high-energy postseason would continue: For the second straight game, Julio Rodríguez got things going for the Mariners with a first-inning home run, sending a two-run blast into left-center.
But Toronto came right back, with a five-spot in the top of the third. Andrés Giménez kicked things off with a two-run homer to tie the game, and then Nathan Lukes scored on a wild pitch to take the lead. Daulton Varsho followed with a deep double to plate two more Blue Jays for a 5-2 score.
Toronto kept rolling after that, growing its lead with the help of solo homers from George Springer and Guerrero. In the sixth inning, Alejandro Kirk hit a three-run homer to bring the lead to double digits, going up 12-2.
It was only last week that the vibes in Seattle were at an all-time high, with the Mariners earning a walk-off ALDS victory over the Detroit Tigers after a grueling, 15-inning Game 5. That energy was steadily crushed Wednesday, as the Blue Jays kept piling on in front of a sellout Seattle crowd.
In the eighth inning, a pair of back-to-back solo homers from Randy Arozarena and Cal Raleigh revitalized the (slightly emptier) crowd. But the Mariners’ late offensive surge was far too little, far too late.
Just for good measure, Addison Barger notched another solo homer in the ninth, marking the fifth home run of the night for the Blue Jays. Toronto became the first team in postseason history with five (or more) doubles and five (or more) homers in a game.
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This was a much-needed win for the Blue Jays, who stave off a sweep in dominant fashion. And though Toronto’s bats were on fire in Game 3, Blue Jays manager John Schneider made sure to shout out Bieber postgame.
“He was making big pitches,” Schneider said. “It’s fun to watch guys like that work, and it was exactly what we needed tonight.”
Bieber, who was acquired by Toronto at the trade deadline, said postgame that he went into the Blue Jays’ dugout after allowing Rodriguez’s home run in the first inning and asked his teammates to “pick me up” and keep him in the game with a strong offensive showing — and they delivered.
“I felt like I had good stuff tonight,” he said. “I was able to go back in that second inning and kind of reestablish what I was going to do.”
“It’s something special, especially when it comes from the pitcher,” Guerrero said via an interpreter of Bieber’s request. “You feel the energy back in the dugout … it felt great.”
Postgame, both Bieber and Guerrero pointed to Giménez’s third-inning home run as a momentum-changer for the team.
For the Mariners, the loss in Game 3 is a tough blow after a very promising start to the series. Wednesday marked the third time this year that Seattle starting pitcher George Kirby allowed eight or more hits and the second time he allowed eight or more runs. Afterward, Mariners manager Dan Wilson said Kirby was “dynamite” at points in the game, despite his struggles. Even after the tough loss, Wilson remained positive about the rest of the series.
“This is a team that has done this a lot this year, in terms of bouncing back, being resilient,” he said. “Tomorrow’s gonna be another opportunity for us.”
The two teams will return to T-Mobile Park for Game 4 on Thursday, with the Mariners trying to take a 3-1 advantage and the Blue Jays doing everything they can to even the series.
ALCS Game 3 live blogLive coverage is over50 updates
Wed, 15 October 2025 at 8:40 pm GMT-4
Kari Anderson