The Toronto Blue Jays have a pulse. Wednesday night at T-Mobile Park, the Blue Jays battered the Seattle Mariners in Game 3 of the ALCS (TOR 13, SEA 4). The Mariners still hold a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, though Toronto is now putting up a fight. Historically, teams with 2-1 lead in a best-of-seven have gone on to win the series 71% of the time.
After scoring three runs in Games 1 and 2, Toronto's offense erupted for 13 runs in Game 3, and they did it with doubles and homers and productive outs. Eight of the nine players in their starting lineup had a hit and six had multiple hits. Eight drove in a run. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had the biggest day, with a walk, a single, two doubles, and a home run. A triple short of the cycle, he was. The 13 runs is tied for the second most in franchise history, behind just Game 4 of the 1993 World Series against the Phillies.
The road team is a perfect 5-0 in the Championship Series round. Here now are four takeaways from Game 3 of the ALCS.
1. The Mariners struck first (again)
For the seventh time in eight postseason games, the Mariners got on the board first in Game 3. Julio Rodríguez opened the scoring with a first-inning two-run home run off Shane Bieber. It was Julio's second straight game with a first-inning homer.
Rodríguez and the Mariners have been played from ahead almost all postseason. They score early, take the lead, and force the other team to play catch-up. That's a great recipe for success even if it didn't show Wednesday night. Taking a 2-0 first-inning lead and then allowing 12 straight runs is rough.
As for Rodríguez, he went 30-30 again this season, slashing .267/.324/.474 with Gold Glove-caliber defense in center. That includes a .272/.356/.663 batting line after the All-Star break. Cal Raleigh was the player of the year in Seattle, undeniably, but Rodríguez had a terrific season as well. Pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park masks how good he truly is, if anything.
2. The Blue Jays woke up
After scoring six runs in Games 1 and 2 combined, the Blue Jays erupted for five runs in the third inning of Game 3, then kept adding from there. George Kirby allowed just an infield single in the first two innings and then went double, homer, fly out, single, double, walk, double to push across five runs in the third. The Blue Jays were all over him once the lineup turned over.
Andrés Giménez opened the scoring for Toronto with a two-run homer, his first since Aug. 27:
Toronto put 11 balls in play against Kirby's fastball and the average -- average -- exit velocity was 94.2 mph. That includes two doubles and two homers. The Blue Jays were all over Kirby's heater after too many swings resulted in weak contact in Games 1 and 2. It was like someone flipped a switch. In the third inning, Toronto's offense finally locked in.
Kirby is one of the sport's most extreme strike-throwers. He has the lowest walk rate among qualified starters since 2023, and I can't help but wonder if that worked to the Blue Jays' advantage. They're a very aggressive offense, one with both contact and power, and Kirby was around the zone a lot (as usual). It's possible he simply threw too many strikes to the Toronto offense.
George Springer hit his 22nd career postseason home run in the fourth inning. Only Manny Ramirez (29), Jose Altuve (27), and Kyle Schwarber (23) have more. The Blue Jays scored six runs in the first two games plus two innings of the series. They then scored five runs in the third inning of Game 3, one run in the fourth, two runs in the fifth, four runs in the sixth, and one in the ninth.
3. Bieber settled down
Bieber's first start this postseason did not go well. The Yankees tagged him for three runs and six baserunners in only 2 ⅔ innings in Game 3 of the ALDS. Early on Wednesday, it looked like Bieber and the Blue Jays were in for more of the same. Rodríguez hit the two-run homer, Jorge Polanco followed with a double, and the Mariners were clicking.
And then suddenly they weren't. Bieber settled down and, after Polanco's double, he retired 17 of the final 19 batters he faced, eight via strikeout. Both baserunners were singles, one of which did not leave the infield. Bieber's Cy Young-caliber secondary pitches were back in force in Game 3:
Bieber finished Game 3 with just the two runs allowed on Rodríguez's homer in six innings. He was effective and he gave the Blue Jays some length, which is important seeing how Game 3 was the first of three games in three days. The more rest you can give the bullpen on the first of three straight gamedays, the better.
Max Scherzer is lined up to pitch Game 4 and he has not looked particularly sharp the last few weeks. He surrendered 25 runs in 25 innings in his last six regular season starts, and the Blue Jays didn't bother to carry him on the ALDS roster. Getting a strong start from Bieber -- and getting him on track in general -- was imperative in Game 3. That mission was accomplished.
4. Up next
Game 4 at T-Mobile Park on Thursday night. A Blue Jays win evens the series at 2-2 and turns the ALCS into a best-of-three. A Mariners win gives them a 3-1 series lead and moves them within one win of the first World Series berth in franchise history. Luis Castillo and future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer will be on the mound in Game 4.
