SEATTLE — After being down 0-2 in the American League Championship Series, the Toronto Blue Jays are right back in it — and they look right at home on the road.
The Blue Jays tied the series 2-2 on Thursday with an 8-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners in Game 4.
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After routing the Mariners in Game 3, the Blue Jays extended their momentum with another big win at T-Mobile Park. Toronto’s bats stayed hot, and a vintage outing from veteran starting pitcher Max Scherzer iced the win.
Thursday’s game quickly felt similar to the night before, as Josh Naylor gave the Mariners an early lead with a solo home run in the second inning, but then a rally in the top of the third put the Blue Jays up 3-1. For the second straight game, Andrés Giménez kicked off the Jays’ scoring with a two-run homer, leading the Mariners to take starter Luis Castillo out after only 2 1/3 innings. Toronto added another run in that frame when reliever Gabe Speier walked Daulton Varsho with the bases loaded.
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Seattle’s sloppy pitching gave the Blue Jays another opening in the fourth. George Springer hit an RBI double before heading home on a wild pitch, giving Toronto a 5-1 lead. Meanwhile, the Mariners struggled to get anything going on offense.
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On the mound, Scherzer had a stellar night. After two walks in the first inning, the 41-year-old starter found his footing, pitching 5 2/3 innings while striking out five on 87 pitches with three hits, two runs and four walks allowed.
Scherzer was so fired up that he refused to leave the game before the end of the fifth inning, point-blank telling Blue Jays manager John Schneider “no” in a spirited conversation. On the next at-bat, he struck out Randy Arozarena to end the inning, and he returned to start the sixth before eventually being relieved.
Postgame, Schneider had only positive words for Scherzer, despite the seemingly heated interaction.
“He lives for this. You have to respect that and you have to appreciate that,” Schneider said. “Been waiting for that all year, for Max to yell at me on the mound.
“It was awesome. I thought he was gonna kill me. It was great. He locked eyes with me, both colors, as I walked out. It’s not fake. That’s the thing. It’s not fake. He has this ‘Mad Max’ persona, but he backed it up tonight. The infielders had a good laugh, too, and he got the job done.”
In the sixth, Eugenio Suárez knocked in a run on a single to cut the Mariners’ deficit to three, but Vlad Guerrero Jr. hit a solo homer in the next inning. And Giménez tacked on two more in the eighth with a single that scored Myles Straw and Ernie Clement, putting Toronto ahead for the final 8-2 margin.
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It wasn’t Game 3’s definitive rout. But something about Thursday’s loss felt more like a gut-punch for the Mariners, as the Blue Jays slowly tacked on runs while Seattle faltered. Just as in Game 3, the Seattle crowd got quieter as the game went on; some of the standard cheers — such as chants of “MVP!” for Cal Raleigh’s at-bats — had fewer and fewer voices by the end of the game.
Even with another crushing loss at home, Mariner manager Dan Wilson stayed positive postgame.
“Obviously, we wanted to get a couple wins here in the series at home,” he said. “Tomorrow we have a chance to bounce back, and that’s where our focus is going forward.”
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Seattle has one more home game on Friday before things shift back to Toronto for Game 6 on Sunday. But if this ALCS has proven anything, it’s that there’s no such thing as home-field advantage.
“Baseball. Weird. Who knows,” Schneider said of the road victories. “I can’t really explain it. We love playing at home, and the first two games didn’t work out that way, but I love the way we’ve come back here the last two games, and we’ve gotta keep it going tomorrow.”
ALCS Game 4 live blogLive coverage is over45 updatesThu, October 16, 2025 at 8:10 PM EDT
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Thu, October 16, 2025 at 11:31 PM EDT
Kari Anderson
Another strong win ties the series 2-2, with only one game remaining in Seattle before things head back to Toronto.
Thu, October 16, 2025 at 11:22 PM EDT
Kari Anderson
Rodriguez makes it a quick inning, sliding for the third out. The Blue Jays challenge the called, but the ruling is confirmed after review.
Seattle has one more chance to scrape for a very unlikely win in the bottom of the ninth, as Seranthony Domínguez takes the mound to close for Toronto.
Thu, October 16, 2025 at 11:18 PM EDT
Kari Anderson
Emerson Hancock stays in to close things out for the Mariners’ bullpen, and kicks off by striking out Alejandro Kirk.
Thu, October 16, 2025 at 11:14 PM EDT
Kari Anderson
Another one-two-three inning for Toronto to end the eighth, as Mariners fans start streaming out of the stadium.
The crew at T-Mobile Park is playing “Don’t Stop Believing.” It doesn’t seem like it’s working.
Thu, October 16, 2025 at 11:09 PM EDT
Kari Anderson
It’s the bottom of the eighth, and it’s rally time for the Mariners crowd. The rally caps are coming out, as are the rally towels and the occasional rally shoe.
Down six runs, Seattle is running out of opportunities to get back into the game. If they’re going to turn it around, it’s now or never.
Thu, October 16, 2025 at 11:02 PM EDT
Kari Anderson
What a night for Andrés Giménez, who gets a big two-run RBI in the eighth inning to just about ice this for Toronto. He’s now 2-for-3, with four RBI, as the Blue Jays lead 8-2.
Thu, October 16, 2025 at 10:57 PM EDT
Emerson Hancock is in on the mound for the Mariners, who are on their sixth pitcher of the game after Luis Castillo’s short outing.
Thu, October 16, 2025 at 10:54 PM EDT
Kari Anderson
A stunning, diving catch from Addison Barger in right field ends the inning on a high note for Toronto.
Thu, October 16, 2025 at 10:49 PM EDT
Kari Anderson
Thu, October 16, 2025 at 10:45 PM EDT
Kari Anderson
Eduard Bazardo gets on the mound for Seattle in the seventh inning, but it’s now 6-2 Toronto after Guerrero sends another home run into right-center for his fifth homer of the postseason.
Thu, October 16, 2025 at 10:39 PM EDT
Kari Anderson
Eugenio Suárez hit a single that sends Jorge Polanco sprinting home. Josh Naylor, though, is out at third after a gutsy slide, and the inning comes to an end.
Thu, October 16, 2025 at 10:35 PM EDT
Kari Anderson
Max Scherzer, after refusing to come out in the fifth, finally takes his leave after walking Jorge Polanco in the sixth. He finishes with five strikeouts on 87 pitches, allowing only three hits and four walks.
Mason Fluharty, a lefty reliever, steps in for Scherzer on the mound.
Thu, October 16, 2025 at 10:27 PM EDT
Kari Anderson
After sending Blue Jays manager John Schneider back into the dugout, Scherzer closed out the fifth inning with a strikeout. Now, he’s staying on the mound to kick off the sixth, holding at 74 pitches.
Thu, October 16, 2025 at 10:21 PM EDT
Kari Anderson
Carlos Vargas relieves Matt Brash to start off the sixth, but Addison Barger sends one deep into left-center on Vargas’ first pitch to get into scoring position.
Thu, October 16, 2025 at 10:07 PM EDT
Kari Anderson
Seattle is finally showing some strength on defense, with three straight outs to finish up the top of the fifth. Can the Mariners find some of that momentum at the plate in the bottom of the inning?
Thu, October 16, 2025 at 10:06 PM EDT
Kari Anderson
Official attendance for tonight is 46,981, another sellout crowd for the Mariners.
Thu, October 16, 2025 at 10:05 PM EDT
Kari Anderson
Thu, October 16, 2025 at 10:00 PM EDT
Kari Anderson
After a miraculous two-game streak, Humpy loses the Salmon Run after some light bullying from the other salmon, who spin Humpy until he’s dizzy. Silver ends up winning the race, bringing some normalcy back to a race that saw a radical victory last Friday.
Thu, October 16, 2025 at 9:51 PM EDT
Kari Anderson
George Springer runs in from third on another wild pitch, and the Blue Jays take a 5-1 lead.
Thu, October 16, 2025 at 9:49 PM EDT
Kari Anderson
With George Springer at third base and two outs, Dan Wilson pulls Gabe Speier in favor of Matt Brash. Brashgets a closer’s greeting, with music and flames and a custom graphic — but it’s only the fourth inning. It’s a worrying sign for Seattle’s bullpen so far.