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It feels fitting that two teams that have waited a long time — one much longer than the other — must wait one more day before finally deciding who gets to represent the AL in the World Series. It is also fitting that both teams came into existence in the same year, 1977, and will play a Game 7 for that honor. Who will step up and become a postseason hero?
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Championship Series Chatter
Yesavage, Homers Carry Jays To Game 7
Final score: Blue Jays 6, Mariners 2
Series: Series tied 3-3
Next game: Mariners RHP George Kirby vs. Blue Jays RHP Shane Bieber, today, 8:08 p.m. at Rogers Centre (Fox)
There is no doubt that first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the face of the Toronto Blue Jays. He may have pitching counterpart very soon. Guerrero hit his sixth homer of this postseason, Addison Barger also went deep and rookie right-hander Trey Yesavage took a shutout into the sixth inning as the Jays beat the Seattle Mariners 6-2 at Rogers Centre to force a Game 7 in the AL Championship Series. Game 7 is tonight, with the winner advancing to the World Series to face the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers beginning Friday. The Jays, the AL’s top seed who had the best home record in the AL, dropped the first two games of the ALCS at home before winning the next two in Seattle. The Mariners, seeking the first trip in franchise history to the World Series — the only current MLB team not to appear in the Fall Classic, moved within a game of that by taking Game 5, only to see the Jays tie things up Sunday. The Jays haven’t been to the World Series since winning back-to-back titles in 1992 and 1993.
Toronto can thank its leader and the 22-year-old who made just his sixth career start for that. Yesavage, the 20th overall out of the 2024 draft out of East Carolina, started this season at Low Class A Dunedin before being promoted to High Class A Vancouver, then Double-A New Hampshire and Triple-A Buffalo before completing the tour of the entire system with a September call-up to Toronto. He impressed in three regular-season starts to earn a spot in the postseason rotation. After striking out 11 in 5⅓ no-hit innings vs. the New York Yankees in the AL Division Series, he was roughed up in Game 2 of the ALCS by the Mariners. But in Game 6, with the Jays’ season in his hands, he turned in stellar outing. Yesavage held the Mariners scoreless through five innings before giving up a solo homer to Josh Naylor with two outs in the sixth. Another single ended Yesavage’s night. He finished allowing six hits and three walks with seven strikeouts, allowing both Mariners runs. The defense helped get Yesavage out of some jams, turning double plays in three consecutive innings.
Jays hitters took some of the pressure off the young right-hander with four early runs against Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert, who also previously started Game 2. Daulton Varsho led off the second with a single and took second when center fielder Julio Rodríguez bobbled the ball. Ernie Clement reached when third baseman Eugenio Suárez booted his grounder, then Barger singled to right to score Varsho from second. Isiah Kiner-Falefa followed with a slow chopper to Suarez, who was unable to make the barehanded play with Clement scoring from third. The Jays added on in the third inning as, with two outs, Clement tripled and Barger hit an 0-1 slider for a two-run homer to right-center to make it 4-0.
Guerrero, who entered this season as a potential free agent only to sign a 14-year, $500 million extension in mid-April, continued his tremendous postseason by lining a 1-1 curveball from Gilbert into the left-field stands for his sixth homer in 10 games of these playoffs, tying the club record for postseason homers. After the Mariners got two off Yesavage in the sixth, Guerrero reached with one out in the seventh when he was hit by a pitch and went to second on line-drive single to center by Alejandro Kirk. Mariners right-handed reliever Matt Brash uncorked a wild pitch and catcher Cal Raleigh tried to nail Guerrero at third, but the throw was off the mark and bounced into left field, with Guerrero popping up and scampering home to make it 6-2. Right-hander Louis Varland followed Yesavage with 1⅓ innings of one-hit relief and embattled closer Jeff Hoffman pitched two hitless innings, striking out four, to close out the win and force a Game 7.
On the board first! #WANTITALL
— Toronto Blue Jays (Bot) (@bluejaysbot.bsky.social) 2025-10-20T00:46:10.000Z
Some soft contact from IKF and the Jays add another run!
— Talkin’ Baseball (Bot) (@talkinbaseballbot.bsky.social) 2025-10-20T00:40:00.000Z
Nayl’d it. #SeizeTheMoment
— Seattle Mariners (Bot) (@marinersbot.bsky.social) 2025-10-20T01:58:10.000Z
By The Numbers
⚾ In the current 2-3-2 format, teams that have won Game 6 at home to force a Game 7 have won the series 20 of 33 times (60.6%), including 14 of the last 18 (since 1985).
⚾ Teams playing at home in a winner-take-all game at any time in the postseason are 68-67, including 30-29 when it is a best-of-seven series.
⚾ The ALCS marks the sixth postseason series this year to go the distance, an MLB record. The previous record of five was set in 2012 and tied in 2020.
⚾ This is the fifth year one LCS ended in a sweep and the other went the full seven games.
Seasons where one LCS was sweep & other went 7 games (LCS best-of-7 since ‘85):20252012200720061988Each of the 4 prior times, the team winning the 7-game LCS won the World Series, too
— (@slangsonsports.bsky.social) 2025-10-20T04:10:40.088Z
Best Moments From Yesterday
Triple Double The Pleasure
The Jays turned inning-ending double plays in three consecutive innings. They got easier in difficulty. the first was a 3-6-1 double play made possible by Trey Yesavage’s hustle to cover first base. Two came with the bases loaded. The Jays became the fourth team to turn multiple inning-ending DPs and the first to do it in back-to-back innings, much less three in a row.
Only A Single?
We have seen a few strange things this postseason, so why not a 360-foot drive off the wall by Leo Rivas of the Mariners that nets him only a single?
Leo Rivas with a 360-foot single
— Talkin’ Baseball (Bot) (@talkinbaseballbot.bsky.social) 2025-10-20T00:55:13.000Z
Do I Get 3 Hits For That?
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s bat exploded as he made contact with the ball. That made for a fascinating instance in which the bat actually hit the ball three times.
Noteworthy News
Kirby vs. Bieber In Game 7
It will be a rematch of the Game 3 starters as right-handers George Kirby of the Mariners will square off with Shane Bieber of the Blue Jays in the decisive Game 7 tonight. Game 3 was where the series shifted to Seattle with the Mariners up 2-0, but the Jays bashed Kirby during a 13-4 victory.
Kirby didn’t record an out in the fifth inning, giving up eight runs on eight hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. sparked a five-run third inning with a leadoff homer. Bieber, the 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner acquired at the trade deadline without having pitched this season as he came back from Tommy John surgery, turned in a solid six innings, surrendering two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out eight. Both starters will be working on four days’ rest and both bullpens are in good shape for Game 7. Of note, Jays manager John Schneider has said right-handers Kevin Gausman and Max Scherzer, the starters in Games 3 and 4, will be available out of the ‘pen.
Game seven pitching matchup:George Kirby vs. Shane Bieber
— Talkin’ Baseball (Bot) (@talkinbaseballbot.bsky.social) 2025-10-20T03:11:35.000Z
Extra Bases
⚾ Jesus Montero, a catcher who played five seasons in MLB, recently died following a traffic accident in his native Venezuela. He was 35. He broke into the majors with the New York Yankees in 2011, then was traded to the Mariners, where he played his final four years. He posted a .253/.295/.398 career slash line in 865 plate appearances, hitting 15 of his 28 homers in 2012 with the Mariners. He had two 50-game suspensions, one for the Biogenesis scandal and another for using a banned substance while in the minors.
⚾ Blue Jays designated hitter George Springer was back in the lineup batting leadoff after leaving Game 5 with a bruised knee. Springer was hit by a pitch on his right knee.
Articles You Should Read
Big Dumper, Sir Mix-A-Lot and how Seattle got back — Jerry Brewer, Washington Post
Baseball needs more starters to adopt Ruthian formula — and this October proves it — Joel Sherman, New York Post
Ohtani highlighted in film tracing history of Japanese and American baseball — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times
The Dodgers are winning — again. That just adds fuel to CBA fight. — Chelsea Janes, Washington Post
Addressing three questions about the Orioles — Roch Kubatko, MASN Sports
Fantasy Baseball Coverage
Podcast: This Week In Fantasy Baseball: Deep-league hitters review — John Ke and Patrick Fitzgerald, Pitcher list