Blue Jays vs. Mariners score: Toronto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. force ALCS Game 7, deny Seattle historic win

The American League pennant will be decided on Monday night

The Toronto Blue Jays have forced a deciding Game 7 with their 6-2 win over the Seattle Mariners in the penultimate contest of the 2025 American League Championship Series. That outcome means that the pennant will be decided back in Toronto on Monday night with a spot in the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on the line. 

As for Game 6, the host Jays seized the lead in the second inning thanks in part to a Daulton Varsho leadoff double and a key miscue by Seattle third baseman Eugenio Suárez and put a pair of runs on the board. An inning-ending double play off the bat of Cal Raleigh in the top of the third kept the M's off the board early – a trend that would hold in Game 6 – and then in home half Addison Barger doubled the Toronto lead with one swing: 

Then in the fifth, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. added a homer of his own to push the margin to 5-0. The Mariners pulled closer in the sixth with a solo home run from Ontario native Josh Naylor, and Suárez doubled home a run later in the inning. They would draw no closer. Toronto, meantime, would add a run in the seventh on a Matt Brash wild pitch. 

After starter Trey Yesavage, coming off a rough Game 2 start against Seattle, limited the M's to a pair of runs in 5 ⅔ innings (with seven strikeouts), the Toronto relievers Louis Varland and Jeff Hoffman took it from there. Across the way, Seattle starter Logan Gilbert struggled, as he allowed five runs on seven hits in four innings. 

Now for some Game 6 takeaways.

Double plays killed the Mariners 

Seattle mounted threats to the Jays and starter Trey Yesavage in the third, fourth, and fifth innings, and each time those frames ended in scoreless fashion on inning-ending double plays. 

The biggest of them came in the third with the bases loaded and 60-homer man Cal Raleigh at the plate: 

More remarkable still, those three GIDPs were the first of Toronto starter Trey Yesavage's big-league career. Prior to Game 6, Jays starting pitchers this postseason had registered only one double play. There's also this: 

Absent those twin killings, the outcome of Game 6 might have been different. 

Vladdie's big postseason continued

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the Jays' franchise batsman and owner of a $500 million contract extension, has been on a serious heater this postseason. Coming into Game 6, he had a slash line of .389/.500/.889 in the ALCS and .457/.524/.917 for the entire playoffs. Then in the fifth inning, Vladdie did this: 

That was part of a 2 for 4 night in which Guerrero Jr. also reached base via HBP. Vlad now owns the franchise record for home runs in a single postseason with six. As well, his 39 total bases rank third all-time through the first 10 games of a single postseason. With fellow lineup fulcrum Bo Bichette still sidelined with a knee injury, Vlad's timely production has been even more essential to the Toronto cause. 

There will be a Game 7

The pennant will come down to Monday night's decisive Game 7. It's the first Game 7 of an MLB postseason series since each 2023 LCS went the distance. For the Mariners, they've never played a Game 7 before. The closest they've come is their six-game ALCS loss to Cleveland in 1995 and their six-game ALCS loss to the New York Yankees in 2000. As for the Jays, they've played only one Game 7, and that was back in 1985 when they fell to the Kansas City Royals in the ALCS (thus blowing a 3-1 series lead in the process).  

Overall, there have been 59 Game 7s in MLB postseason history. Of those 59, two were neutral-site affairs during the 2020 pandemic-compromised playoffs. Of the remaining 57 Game 7s, the home team won 30. That's an ever-so-slight historical advantage for the Blue Jays. 

The Game 3 starters -- George Kirby for Seattle and Shane Bieber for Toronto -- will be on full rest and are set to get the respective Game 7 nods.

[Oct 19, 2025 at 10:36 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

The ALCS is going the distance. Thanks to clutch hitting and sloppy defense, the Blue Jays beat the Mariners in Game 6 at Rogers Centre on Sunday night (box score). We will have a Game 7 on Monday. The winner of that game will play the Dodgers in the World Series. That series begins Friday.

Similar to Game 2, Mariners righty Logan Gilbert was not sharp in Game 6, and the Seattle defense did him no favors. Julio Rodríguez and Eugenio Suárez made errors on back-to-back plays in the second inning, opening the door for Addison Barger and Isiah Kiner-Falefa to drive in the game's first two runs with singles. Barger hit a two-run home run an inning later to make it 4-0.

Rookie Trey Yesavage, making his third postseason start after making only three regular season starts, was not at the top of his game, though he did get an inning-ending double play in three straight innings to keep the Mariners off the board. They were the first three double plays of his MLB career. Seattle had traffic and chances to get back in the game, but couldn't come up with the big hit.

Yesavage finished the night with two runs allowed in 5 ⅔ innings. He struck out seven. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. added an insurance run with a solo homer (his MLB-leading sixth of the postseason) and later scored when Cal Raleigh threw wide to third base. The Mariners committed three errors and also grounded into three double plays. Not a crisp effort at all with a chance to go to the World Series for the first time in franchise history.

Game 7 will be played Monday night. Shane Bieber and George Kirby are lined up to start, though it's Game 7. All hands will be on deck for both teams. First pitch is scheduled for a little after 8 p.m. ET.

[Oct 19, 2025 at 10:48 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Hoffman is staying in for the six-out save. Well, the Blue Jays have a four-run lead, so it's not a save situation, but you know what I mean.

[Oct 19, 2025 at 10:45 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

It's 6-2 Blue Jays. We're three outs away from Game 7 tomorrow night.

[Oct 19, 2025 at 10:37 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Hoffman goes 1-2-3 against the 2-3-4 hitters in the eighth. The Blue Jays will take at least a 6-2 lead into the ninth. They're three outs away from forcing a Game 7.

[Oct 19, 2025 at 10:26 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Yucky game all around for the Mariners.

[Oct 19, 2025 at 10:22 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Cal Raleigh throws wide to third base after retrieving a pitch in the dirt, allowing Vlad Jr. to trot home. Guerrero got hit in the elbow to start this rally. The Mariners still have a runner on second with two outs in the seventh.

The Mariners have made three errors in this game, plus a few other plays that weren't scored error, but were obviously mistakes. Not a crisp game at all with a pennant on the line. They'll have to play much cleaner in Game 7.

[Oct 19, 2025 at 10:15 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Looks like Hoffman is warming for the eighth. Cal Raleigh, Jorge Polanco, and Josh Naylor are coming up in the eighth. That's the pocket of the lineup that sparked the eighth inning rally.

[Oct 19, 2025 at 10:13 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

And that means we're six outs away from Game 7. Toronto has a 5-2 lead going to the bottom of the seventh. Louie Varland got the last four outs for the Blue Jays. I assume it'll be Seranthony Domínguez for the eighth and Jeff Hoffman for the ninth. Those two can make things interesting. This game isn't over yet.

[Oct 19, 2025 at 10:01 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Randy Arozarena singled to end Yesavage's night, then Eugenio Suárez blooped a single to right. Arozarena was able to chug all the way around from first base on a less than stellar set of relays. It's 5-2 Blue Jays with two outs in the sixth. Those GIDPs have really hurt the Mariners. They've had plenty of traffic in this game.

[Oct 19, 2025 at 9:54 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Toronto native Josh Naylor pokes a solo homer over the right field wall to make it 5-1 Blue Jays in the sixth. I thought that might end Trey Yesavage's night because the bullpen was working behind him, but nope.

Naylor has two hits tonight. The rest of the Mariners have three, equaling their GIDP total.

[Oct 19, 2025 at 9:46 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

I'm surprised Mariners manager Dan Wilson pulled Gilbert at 75 pitches after Guerrero's homer, and went to one of his top relievers in Eduard Bazardo. I know this game isn't over, but I would've guessed he'd want to save as many of his best arms for tomorrow.

[Oct 19, 2025 at 9:41 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

It's his MLB-leading sixth home run of the postseason, and remember, the Blue Jays had a Wild Card Series bye. It's looking like we'll have a Game 7 tomorrow night.

Guerrero is hitting .447/.511/1.000 this postseason. He's the easy favorite to win ALCS MVP, assuming the Blue Jays win the series. They still need to win tonight and tomorrow, of course.

[Oct 19, 2025 at 9:35 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Make it three straight innings with a double play for Yesavage.

[Oct 19, 2025 at 9:24 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

These two GIDPs the last two innings are the first two of Trey Yesavage's MLB career.

[Oct 19, 2025 at 9:21 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

And Crawford hits into a 4-6-3 double play. Five of the last eight Mariners have reached base, but two double plays have kept runs off the board.

[Oct 19, 2025 at 9:20 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Suárez walks to load the bases and suddenly JP Crawford is up as the tying run.

[Oct 19, 2025 at 9:19 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

If nothing else, the Mariners have make Yesavage work these last two innings. They'll get a few cracks at Toronto's bullpen.

[Oct 19, 2025 at 9:17 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Josh Naylor and Randy Arozarena with back-to-back one out singles in the fourth. Arozarena's didn't leave the infield. Eugenio Suárez is up and here can make this interesting with one swing. It's still 4-0 home team.

[Oct 19, 2025 at 9:10 pm ET · Dayn Perry]

One swing from Addison Barger turned a 2-0 Toronto lead in the third inning into a 4-0 lead: 

Barger's a bit overlooked in this Jays lineup, but during the regular season he cranked 21 homers in 460 at-bats. 

[Oct 19, 2025 at 9:09 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Bryce Miller being Seattle's best starter this series is not something I foresaw.

[Oct 19, 2025 at 9:02 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Here is said 3-6-1 double play:

[Oct 19, 2025 at 9:01 pm ET · Dayn Perry]

HUGE double play turned by the Blue Jays to get out of the inning. 

[Oct 19, 2025 at 9:00 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

And Raleigh grounds into a 3-6-1 double play on the first pitch.

[Oct 19, 2025 at 9:00 pm ET · Dayn Perry]

The bases are loaded with Cal Raleigh up and one out. Seattle's trailing 2-0 in the third. 

[Oct 19, 2025 at 8:59 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

For 60-homer man Cal Raleigh. There's one out and the Mariners still lead 2-0. Trey Yesavage threw 23 pitches in the first two innings. He's up 22 pitches this inning.

[Oct 19, 2025 at 8:58 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Rivas almost got picked off first base there. Safe call stood on replay but it was close. Mariners are playing some sloppy baseball with a chance to go to the World Series.

[Oct 19, 2025 at 8:55 pm ET · Mike Axisa]

Leo Rivas with one of the longest singles you'll ever see. It hit near the top of the high wall in right. JP Crawford had to hold up between first and second in case it was caught. The Mariners have runners on first and second with one out in the third.

[Oct 19, 2025 at 8:46 pm ET · Dayn Perry]

And of course Suárez makes a nifty play to get the M's out of a jam in the second.