It all comes down to this.
The Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays will face off one final time in 2025 for the honor of winning the American League Pennant. Whomever walks away with the win tonight will represent the American League against the dreaded Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.
Both teams have fought incredibly hard through the post-season and should be incredibly proud. For the long-suffering Mariners, a win tonight clinches the first World Series appearance in their 49 seasons of existence.
For the Blue Jays, victory represents their first World Series appearance since the immortal words “Touch ‘em all, Joe!” were uttered in October 1993.
On the bump representing the Mariners is the right-handed George Kirby. After two strong outings against the Detroit Tigers in the Division Series, Kirby got roughed up against the Blue Jays last week. He went just four innings and gave up eight earned runs on eight hits—three of which were home runs—and two walks. A bounce-back performance against a team that has had this starting rotation’s number would go a long way, especially when the bullpen has put in a lot of work.
Starting for the Blue Jays is the right-handed former Cleveland Guardian in Shane Bieber. Bieber appears to finally be healthy and pitched a gem against the Mariners last week. In six innings, he gave up just two earned runs on four hits and a walk while striking out eight batters.
For either team, a win represents the next step in an up-hill battle. The Dodgers and their murderer’s row of high-paid talent await.
First Pitch: 6:10 p.m. MDT
Radio: ESPN (National); Mariners Radio Seattle Sports 710 AM; Blue Jays Radio SN590