SEATTLE — The Emerald City vibrated again with a magical postseason night. After two home defeats, the Seattle Mariners responded spectacularly with a 6-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS), getting within one victory of their first World Series in franchise history.
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With the game tied in the eighth inning,
Cal Raleigh tied the score with a
solo home run, and minutes later,
Eugenio Suárez unleashed the madness at
T-Mobile Park by hitting a
grand slam that sealed Seattle’s victory.
Suárez’s hit, against reliever
Seranthony Domínguez, placed him alongside
Edgar Martínez (1995) as the only Mariners players to hit grand slams in the postseason. Raleigh, for his part, added his fourth home run of the series and the 64th of his year between the regular season and playoffs.
Seattle thus achieved its
first home victory in the SCLA since the year 2000, regaining momentum in a series they now lead 3-2. In best-of-seven series tied 2-2, the team that wins Game 5 ends up advancing
69% of the time (46 of 67).
The game had moments of high tension: Toronto had taken a 2-1 lead thanks to a run-scoring single by
Ernie Clement, while
Kevin Gausman shone with a performance of
5.2 innings and only one run allowed. However, the Blue Jays’ relievers couldn’t contain Seattle’s final offensive push.
From the local side, manager
Dan Wilson bet on a risky bullpen that responded in crucial moments. The young pitcher
Bryan Woo, in his first appearance since September, overcame a complicated start to keep the team in the game.
The series will now move to “Toronto”, where “Game 6” will be played on “Sunday night at Rogers Centre”, with the Mariners looking to make history and seal their ticket to the “2025 World Series”.
