TORONTO, ONTARIO - OCTOBER 19: Fans react after Cal Raleigh #29 of the Seattle Mariners struck out during the eighth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays in game six of the American League Championship Series at Rogers Centre on October 19, 2025 in T … (Cole Burston / Getty Images)
TORONTO - Playing for a chance to reach the World Series for the first time in franchise history, the Seattle Mariners appeared to let nerves get the better of them in Game 6 of the ALCS.
The Mariners committed three fielding errors, and hit into three inning-ending double plays – including twice with the bases loaded – in a 6-2 loss to the Blue Jays that sends the series to a decisive Game 7 on Monday in Toronto.
Whether they played tight, anxious, or just didn't perform, the Mariners let a chance to end Toronto's season slip away with a sloppy effort that now sets the stage for the first Game 7 in franchise history.
"Our guys have been so good about it all season long, and balls just kind of in and out of the glove there tonight that put a couple extra guys on base," manager Dan Wilson said. "That happens from time to time. Like I said these guys have been so good all year at that. Unfortunately, it led to a couple runs, a couple runs early."
With the help of Seattle's miscues, the Blue Jays did enough damage against Seattle starter Logan Gilbert to seize control of the contest. And the inability of the offense to deliver in key spots against Toronto starter Trey Yesavage sets the stage for the winner-take-all finale.
"Yeah, you've got to play clean baseball," catcher Cal Raleigh said. "You can't give up extra outs, especially to a team like that. They're good, they took advantage of it.
"You've got to be able to make those plays and I think that was part of the difference tonight."
Seattle committed two errors in the second inning alone that helped the Blue Jays take control early.
Daulton Varsho's base hit to left-center saw Julio Rodríguez bobble the ball for an error as Varsho advanced to second base. Another error followed as Eugenio Suárez was handcuffed by a hard grounder from Ernie Clement that put two runners on with no outs.
A single to right field by Addison Barger scored Varsho, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa's infield chopper in front of third was enough to score Clement for a 2-0 Blue Jays lead.
"I feel like we could have played a cleaner game," Rodríguez said. "We definitely set the table a few times, but we couldn't capitalize. That's kind of part of the game, too, but you know they played a good game, they put good swings (together)."
A walk to George Springer with one out loaded the bases before a strikeout of Nathan Lukes brought Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to the plate. Suárez made up for the earlier error, making a diving stop of a hard grounder from Guerrero that would have scored two more runs to help Gilbert escape the jam without further damage.
"I take it on myself. I didn't set the tone at all," Gilbert said. "Really from the get-go, a lot of traffic, no quick innings, stuff like that. Their guy was on on the other side and I didn't match it, so I feel like that's one me, for sure."
Meanwhile, Yesavage got off to a much better start for Toronto than he did in his Game 2 outing. Rodríguez hit a three-run home run off Yesavage in the first inning of Game 2 before the Toronto rookie could record his first out of the contest.
This time, Yesavage retired the first six batters he faced with four strikeouts over the first two innings.
A lead-off walk from J.P. Crawford gave Seattle their first baserunner of the game off Yesavage in the third. Leo Rivas then nearly homered to right field, hitting a ball about four feet shy of a homer off the fence for a long single as Crawford had to hold ahead.
Another walk to Rodríguez loaded the bases with one out with Raleigh coming to the plate. But Raleigh rolled over a first-pitch splitter from Yesavage that he left up in the zone for an inning-ending double play as Toronto escaped without any damage.
GIlbert was on the verge of a much-needed clean inning in the fourth before Toronto tagged him again.
A two-out triple off the wall in left field from Clement put a runner on before Barger crushed a slider at the bottom of the strike zone into the right field seats for a two-run home run and a 4-0 Toronto lead.
"Just taking advantage of mistakes. Left the ball up, that's pretty much it," Gilbert said. "When I made a mistake, they didn't miss it, for sure. Barger, Vlad, Barger twice, Just leaving the ball up. I was trying to be aggressive and get ahead and did that, but got to know the times to take a shot to get under (the zone) and just left the ball up."
Seattle loaded the bases again in the fourth inning, but again came up empty.
Josh Naylor singled to left field and an infield single from Randy Arozarena started a one-out rally for Seattle. A walk of Suárez loaded the bases, but Yesavage again wiggled out of danger as Crawford slapped an 0-2 splitter below the zone to second base for a double play that ended the Mariners' threat.
After Gilbert delivered a clean fourth inning, a third straight inning-ending double play – this one from Rodríguez – wiped out another chance for Seattle to answer.
"Yeah, we had opportunities," Raleigh said. "I thought we did a great job with our at-bats. We were able to get people on, it was just one of those days where we couldn't get the big run home and give them credit, they kept us off the board. They put up a crooked number, so sometimes that's just how baseball is."
A laser from Guerrero Jr. into the left field seats for a solo home run to lead off the fifth inning gave Toronto a 5-0 lead and ended Gilbert's night.
"I think in general everything fell off a little bit," Gilbert said. "Nothing physical, didn't feel tired, didn't feel anything. Just didn't have it."
Gilbert allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits with a walk and three strikeouts over four-plus innings for Seattle.
"I think we'd both like to have some pitches back," Raleigh said. "Maybe some better pitch calling and maybe some better execution there from both sides. I don't think that there's one finger to point at, one certain pitch, but you take that and you learn from it and you try to apply it going into the next game because obviously dwelling on that won't do too much for us."
A two-out solo home run from Naylor against Yesavage in the sixth finally got the Mariners on the board. Naylor crushed a first-pitch splitter left in the middle of the strike zone deep to right field to make it a 5-1 game.
A single from Arozarena followed that ended Yesavage's outing as manager John Schneider turned to Louis Varland out of the bullpen. A weak liner from Suárez over first base managed to score a sprinting Arozarena all the way from first to make it a 5-2 Toronto lead. Varland then struck out Crawford to end the inning.
Yesavage allowed two runs on six hits with three walks and seven strikeouts over 5 ⅔ innings pitched for Toronto.
"We did have some opportunities to score, and we did get some base runners on," Wilson said. "But you give a little credit to Yesavage, and the secondaries that he had tonight were good. It kept us off stride and kept the ball on the ground for those double plays.
"So we'll make our adjustments offensively tomorrow, and we'll be ready to go Game 7.
More Mariner miscues in the seventh allowed Toronto to get a run back.
Matt Brash hit Guerrero Jr. with a pitch, and an Alejandro Kirk single put two runners on with one out. A wild pitch with Varsho at the plate got away from Raleigh, who tried to get the advancing Guerrero at third. Instead, his throw got by Suárez into left field as Guerrero scored to make it a 6-2 game.
It's just the second time in Mariners history they've had three errors in a postseason game. They also had three errors in a 17-2 loss to the Cleveland Indians in Game 3 of the 2001 ALDS. And it's been over a year since the team's last three-error game, which came on August 16, 2024 at Pittsburgh in a 5-3 loss.
Brash walked Clement and Barger to load the bases, but got out of the jam with a fly out to right by Kiner-Falefa.
Jeff Hoffman closed out the game for Toronto, pitching two innings of relief with a walk and four strikeouts.
"As a starter you get pretty much one shot. That was today," Gilbert said. "Obviously, we wanted to make it happen and clinch and be done with it, but I just didn't do my job. I'll show up and support the team tomorrow. And I know a lot of guys in this room that have a ton of fight that are going to step up tomorrow and so I think they're going to pick me up big time."
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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