It Was Never Going to Be Easy: Mariners Bludgeoned by Blue Jays in Game Three of the ALCS
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA - There was plenty of hope and belief that the Seattle Mariners were going to carry their momentum from taking the first two games of this American League Championship Series against the top seeded Toronto Blue Jays in Canada, searching for a sweep in four games. While early emotions may have felt that way in this game three following a two-run home run by Julio Rodríguez to give the Mariners a lead in the first inning, the truth presented itself in ringing fashion: this was never going to be easy, and not against a team as good as the Blue Jays. Seattle was manhandled by Toronto for a final score of 13-4, with solo home runs from Randy Arozarena and Cal Raleigh in the eighth inning chipping into the final score. It’s an ugly result for the Mariners, especially considering the momentum they were carrying from game three, but this Seattle clubhouse has been punched in the mouth and responded before on numerous occasions here in 2025.
A familiar trend for the Mariners during their current playoff run has been their ability to strike first, and especially when they’re playing within the friendly confines of T-Mobile Park. After George Kirby was able to work around a two-out single from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., a chopper that Eugenio Suárez caught but couldn’t get a good enough throw off for the out from third base, the Mariners lineup provided some instant electricity for the sold out crowd at T-Mobile Park. Randy Arozarena drew a walk to lead things off, stealing second base with one out to put himself into scoring position for fellow outfielder Julio Rodríguez. Seattle’s star centerfielder saved his left fielder the energy from having to run home on a base hit, turning on a fastball inside from Blue Jays starting pitcher Shane Bieber. Rodríguez demolished the inside heater and gave it a ride, an exit velocity of 112MPH and distance of 414 feet, into the Mariners bullpen for a two-run home run. It appeared as though Seattle was going to hang a crooked number on Bieber as Jorge Polanco followed up Rodríguez’s homer with a ground tule double, but neither Josh Naylor nor Eugenio Suárez were able to drive him in.
“I think, again, Julio getting a pretty good pitch to hit there in that first inning, and I thought he did a really good job of driving that ball on the line. Then I thought, as good pitchers do, they get a little bit more comfortable, they get settled in, their command comes back, their stuff comes to ‘em a little bit, and it looked like he just was able to get comfortable, get into a bit of a rhythm and find his secondaries, and once that happened they were able to get the lead, and then he was able to protect it.”
Toronto wasn’t prepared for go quietly into the night, as their lineup came alive in the third inning. After a quiet second inning made it look like the game was going to slip into a rhythm of sorts, The bottom of the Blue Jays lineup started to do damage against Mariners starter George Kirby. Ernie Clement’s leadoff double on an inside sinker started the line of hits for Toronto, as he was immediately driven in by an Andrés Giménez two-run home run to right-center field to tie the ballgame on an inside fastball. A George Springer flyout only provided a momentary pause in the action for the Blue Jays lineup as a Lukes single, Guerrero Jr. double and Kirk walk loaded the bases with two outs. A wild pitch to Daulton Varsho scored Lukes from third before the Toronto centerfielder banged a double off the wall in right field to drive in two more runs, creating a three-run lead for the Blue Jays that they’d only add on to.
“I think Kirby is a great pitcher. He has a really good fastball. I think we all together, we execute our plan as a lineup. We were just able to put the barrel on the ball tonight. He was throwing his electric fastball and we executed and we put the barrel on the ball.”
“It’s a big swing. I think, yeah. Again, we’re focused on tonight, and tomorrow we’ll focus on tomorrow. But, yeah, I think just kind of — I said it during the game, kind of in that situation, runner at second, nobody out, taking a shot and trying to be aggressive on Kirby’s fastball. So you never know how the game’s going to go, you never know who it’s going to be, right? But really, really big swing to get us going and then kind of on down the line that inning. Yeah, man, that was a big swing Andrés.”
The four-run sixth featured three base hits, an intentional walk, and a three-run home run by Alejandro Kirk off Caleb Ferguson to Toronto’s lead to double digits. Mariners fans have seen valiant comebacks throughout the season and a team that never quits, but the sixth that pushed the Blue Jays lead to ten seemed to squash any of that remaining belief in a sold out crowd that did remain in their seats for the vast majority of this blowout.
Seattle’s lineup looked listless after that first inning. Down in order three times, only one base runner to end the inning in four other frames. The only other instance where the Mariners did any damage to Toronto came in “garbage time” as Randy Arozarena and Cal Raleigh both hit solo home runs off Blue Jays relief pitcher Yariel Rodríguez. The solo shots provided some minor excitement for the fans that decided to stay at T-Mobile Park throughout the rough defeat. The miniscule percentage for a miraculous Mariners comeback was stomped out when Bellevue, Washington native Addison Barger hit a solo shot of his own in the top of the ninth.
“This is a team that’s done that a lot this year in terms of bouncing back, being resilient. We’ve used a lot of words for it, but tomorrow’s going to be that opportunity again for us, and these guys know how to prepare and be ready for that, and I don’t expect it’s going to be an issue for them at all. This is a team that has proven over and over again that fighting back, bouncing back, having resiliency is a part of their DNA and, yeah, tomorrow’s a chance to do that again.”
Quick Mariners notes, from Mariners PR
46,471 was the announced paid attendance at T-Mobile Park for game three of the American League Championship Series between the visiting Toronto Blue Jays and our Seattle Mariners.
188,157 is the total attendance at T-Mobile Park through four postseason games.
ALDS
Game one: 47,290
Game two: 47,371
Game five: 47,025
ALCS
Game three: 46,471
“Humpy” the Salmon won tonight’s Mariners “Salmon Run,” making it two consecutive victories for the fish after going winless for the first 165 races.
2025 postseason “Salmon Run” standings through four games.
Humpy: 2 wins
Silver: 2 wins
Sockeye: 1 win
King: No wins
Please note that there were two Salmon Run races in game five of the ALDS due to the game going 15 innings.
The Green Muckleshoot Casino Resort boat won tonight’s Mariners “Hydro Challenge,” adding to it’s lead atop the standings for the postseason.
2025 postseason “Hydro Challenge” standings through four games.
Green Muckleshoot Casino Resort boat: 3 wins
Yellow Mariners Team Store boat: 1 win
Red Oberto Beef Jerky boat: No wins
Teams holding a 2-1 series advantage in a seven-game postseason have gone on to win the series 108 of 153 times (70.6%), including 46 of 62 times (74.2%) in the League Championship Series.
Lower seeded teams with a 2-1 advantage in a seven-game series have gone on to win the series 45 of 70 times (64.2%) , including 18 of 28 (64.3%) times in the League Championship Series.
Randy Arozarena and Cal Raleigh hit back-to-back homers in the eighth inning, marking the fourth set of back-to-back homers in Mariners postseason history and the first occurrence since Edgar Martinez and John Olerud in the fifth inning of game five of the 2000 ALCS.
Arozarena and Raleigh also hit back-to-back home runs twice in the regular season (4/17 at Cincinnati and 5/30 vs Minnesota).
Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby took the loss tonight after allowing eight earned runs on eight hits with two walks and four strikeouts across 4.0+ innings pitched.
Prior to tonight, had not allowed more than two runs across each of his four prior Postseason appearances.
His eight runs allowed are tied for the second-most he has given up in any start across his regular season and postseason career; also allowed eight runs earlier this season on September 3rd at Tampa Bay.
Across three starts in the 2025 postseason, has totaled 18 strikeouts which are third most by a pitcher in a single postseason in Mariners history, trailing Randy Johnson (29 strikeouts in 1995) and Freddy García (19 strikeouts in 2001).
His 24 career strikeouts in the Postseason at third-most in Mariners history, behind Randy Johnson (45 strikeouts) and Freddy García (32 strikeouts).
Made third start of the 2025 Postseason for Seattle, his fifth career postseason appearance (fourth start) and first career League Championship Series appearance.
Mariners centerfielder Julio Rodríguez’s homer was his third of the Postseason and his second consecutive game with a first inning homer
First player to hit multi-run home run in the first inning of back-to-back ALCS games since Paul Konerko for the 2005 White Sox vs Angels, exactly 20 years ago today.
Now has 16 home runs in the first inning in 2025 between the regular season and postseason combined, which are second-most in the Majors, behind Aaron Judge (20 home runs).
Is the only player in Mariners history with multiple Postseason first inning homers (Edgar Martinez, Mike Cameron and Cal Raleigh each have one).
Joins Jorge Polanco (Three home runs in 2025), Cal Raleigh (Three home runs in 2025), Ken Griffey Jr. (Six home runs in 1995), and Jay Buhner (Four home runs in 1995) as the only Mariners to hit three plus home runs in a single postseason.
Is the youngest player in Mariners history to have three plus home runs in a single Postseason (Previous was Ken Griffey Jr. at age-25 in 1995).
His 8 RBI this postseason are tied with Jorge Polanco (2025) and Jay Buhner (1995) for third-most by a Mariner in a single postseason, trailing Edgar Martinez (10 RBI, 1995) and Ken Griffey Jr. (9 RBI, 1995).
Seventh player in Mariners history to hit a home run during the ALCS and the first to do so since Stan Javier homered on October 18th, 2001 in game two of the ALCS vs the New York Yankees.
Cal Raleigh’s home run was the 63rd home run of the year (Regular season + postseason) and his third of the postseason.
The 63 combined home runs pass Babe Ruth (1927) and Roger Maris (1961) for the second-most combined home runs in a season in American League history… Only Aaron Judge (64 in 2022) has more in A.L. history.
Joins Jorge Polanco (Three home runs in 2025), Julio Rodríguez (Three home runs in 2025), Ken Griffey Jr. (Six home runs in 1995), and Jay Buhner (Four home runs in 1995) as the only Mariners to hit three plus home runs in a single postseason.
Is now batting .344 with a double, three home runs, six RBI and six walks across eight Postseason games this year.
Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena’s home run was the 12th of his Postseason career and first since October 7th, 2021 versus Boston with the Rays… It also marked his first home run since September 9th vs St. Louis.
After leading off the bottom of the first with a walk, stole second base, and would score on Julio Rodríguez’s two-run home run.
The stolen base was his fourth of the 2025 Postseason and third in the 2025 ALCS.
The four stolen bases this Postseason are second-most in Mariners history for a single Postseason, behind the five steals by Vince Coleman in 1995.
Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco hit a ground rule double in the first inning and has recorded a hit in each of his last four Postseason games, recording a combined six hits across that four-game span.
Mariners catcher Harry Ford recorded a single in his first ever Postseason plate appearance… Also marked his second career hit in the Major Leagues (Single on September 27th vs Dodgers).
What’s next?
Following tonight’s ugly defeat in game three of the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, our Seattle Mariners look to bounce back and put themselves within a game of advancing to their first ever World Series when game four comes. That contest takes place tomorrow, Thursday, October 16th with a first pitch time of 5:33PM PDT that will be broadcast live on FS1 and FOX Deportes while going over the radio airwaves on Seattle Sports 710AM, Univision TUDN, and ESPN Radio. The starting pitching matchup between the two teams will be Max Scherzer (7-8 win-loss, 3.78 ERA, 1.15 WHIP in the postseason for his career) for Toronto against Luis Castillo (2-2 win-loss, 1.40 ERA, 0.90 WHIP in the postseason for his career) for Seattle in another critical contest. Scherzer has struggled down the stretch for Toronto, including a 7.55 ERA and 1.68 WHIP over his last seven appearances, while Castillo has seemingly gotten stronger as the season has closed out including a scoreless start plus a relief appearance in the American League Division Series against the Tigers. The Mariners will be looking for a big boost in the form of a strong Castillo start tomorrow to get themselves back on the winning track.
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