Are we having enjoyable but? Friday was probably the most unforgettable days ever seen within the playoffs, with Eugenio Suarez’s go-ahead grand slam rocking T-Cell Park and placing the Seattle Mariners one win away from the World Collection, after which Shohei Ohtani’s historic three-homer, 10-strikeout efficiency that goes down as maybe the only best particular person efficiency in postseason historical past.
Let’s name it a top-five day of all time and add this to our listing of future tasks to analysis. In the meantime, with Ohtani’s Los Angeles Dodgers within the World Collection, we’re left with one sport Sunday: The Seattle Mariners vs. the Toronto Blue Jays, Recreation 6 of the ALCS.
Let’s dig into it with a few of the keys to look at with the remaining World Collection spot at stake.
Guerrero is having a monster postseason, hitting .457/.524/.971 with 5 residence runs. After a hitless first two video games of the ALCS, he did his greatest Roy Hobbs impersonation in Seattle, going 7-for-11 with 5 extra-base hits. He has simply two strikeouts in 42 postseason plate appearances, and he has had 15 balls in play register over 100 mph, together with six of his seven hits at T-Cell.
“He’s a particular participant, a particular expertise, an superior man to be round,” teammate Ernie Clement mentioned. “He’s earned each little bit of success that he’s having, and I couldn’t be happier for him. Simply actually pleased with the work he’s put in. To do it on the largest phases, it’s a testomony to his work.”
In Recreation 5, the Mariners deliberately walked Guerrero twice, as soon as within the fourth inning with no person out and a runner on second base — his second intentional stroll of the postseason with no person out, the primary time that has occurred since 2016 — after which within the seventh with two outs and a runner on second.
The Mariners escaped each jams, however they’re taking part in with fireplace — and that’s whether or not they pitch to him or whether or not they put him on. It’s definitely not a simple choice for supervisor Dan Wilson with Guerrero so locked in, however finally a type of intentional walks goes to backfire and doubtlessly result in a giant inning.
Raleigh is following up his historic 60-homer season with an excellent postseason of his personal, hitting .333/.435/.692 with 4 residence runs, the one Mariner who has offered constant offense. Suarez’s slam was the second for the historical past books in Recreation 5, however that second would possibly by no means occur if Raleigh doesn’t first tie the sport main off the eighth inning along with his towering residence run to left that appeared excessive sufficient to soar over the Area Needle.
“Oh my god, that ball took without end to get down,” mentioned teammate Bryan Woo. “I can’t say that I’m shocked anymore, however he simply continues to impress and present up in huge moments.”
The Blue Jays have principally gone proper after Raleigh, who has drawn three walks in 5 video games, a type of intentional. That included the game-tying residence run when Brendon Little fell behind 2-0 however got here in with a fastball — a bit of an excessive amount of down the center.
“Plenty of instances I get on the market and simply begin swinging and attempt to hit one thing laborious,” Raleigh mentioned, “however I used to be affected person ready for my pitch there and understanding to let the sport come to me, attempt to make stable contact, don’t want a house run, don’t must attempt to hit a ball 500 ft, simply do one thing good and adrenaline will often take over in these moments.”
Following the Blue Jays’ win in Recreation 3, Clement referred to as himself “in all probability the worst hitter in baseball” a pair years in the past. He was referring to 2022, when he hit .184/.243/.209 in 179 plate appearances with the Guardians and Athletics — which led to the Guardians letting him go, after which the A’s, with the Blue Jays claiming him on waivers throughout spring coaching in 2023.
The one-time worst hitter in baseball performed 157 video games this season, had his greatest season on the plate with a .277/.313/.398 line and 46 extra-base hits, and is a Gold Glove finalist at two positions — third base (the place he began 66 video games) and the utility slot (he additionally began video games at second base, shortstop and first base).
He has adopted that up with an distinctive postseason, hitting .429 with 15 hits, essentially the most for a participant in his first 9 profession postseason video games since Daniel Murphy in 2015. He attributes his success to studying from his failures — “I’ve had fairly just a few of these,” he mentioned — and understanding that he’s at his greatest when he’s swinging typically, even when that goes in opposition to the trendy conference of ready in your pitch.
“I simply began to lean into my power a bit of bit, which is placing the bat on the ball. I type of tried to work the depend a bit of bit and possibly strive to attract some walks and hit for extra energy, and that’s simply not likely my sport. Over the past couple years, I’ve realized to only make it laborious on the opposing pitchers with my potential to get hits on pitchers’ pitches, and I’ve simply actually been extra aggressive.”
The Mariners’ prime starter within the common season had been sidelined since Sept. 19 on account of a proper pectoral pressure. He wasn’t on the ALDS roster however lastly made his postseason debut in Recreation 5, pitching two innings in reduction in Recreation 5. Alejandro Kirk greeted him with a ringing double after which Clement drove him with an RBI single, though bounced again with a scoreless seventh, getting out of that jam when Kirk tapped again to the mound.
It wasn’t essentially a stellar effort — he didn’t document a strikeout and had simply two swings and misses out of 28 pitches — however it was ok. He did take pleasure in working by the “flames” as he left the bullpen for the mound. “Yeah, I advised Logan [Gilbert] when he did it the opposite day, he appeared like the best he’s ever appeared, so I attempted to copy that.”
Woo mentioned he’ll have to attend and see how he feels over the following couple of days, and he isn’t stretched again out to begin but however mentioned “I’d like to contribute the following couple of video games.” Given Wilson’s fast hook with Luis Castillo in Recreation 4 and comparatively fast hook with Miller in Recreation 5, Woo’s potential to throw a number of innings to assist bridge the hole to nearer Andres Munoz looms massive, whether or not it’s in Recreation 6 or Recreation 7.
The Blue Jays have struck out simply 28 instances within the first 5 video games in comparison with 49 for the Mariners. The Blue Jays had the bottom strikeout price within the majors within the common season and have been hanging out even much less typically throughout the playoffs (simply 14.4% of the time within the ALCS). That hasn’t truly produced rather more laborious contact on this sequence, nevertheless, because the Jays have 53 balls in play categorized as hard-hit balls (95-plus mph) whereas the Mariners have hit 51. The Jays have 14 at 105-plus mph, and the Mariners have 15.
Nonetheless, on Friday every part went the Mariners’ approach.
“To be trustworthy, we dodged a whole lot of bullets in the present day,” Raleigh mentioned. There was a the double play on a line drive to first baseman Josh Naylor, Leo Rivas made a pleasant leaping seize of a line drive up the center, Raleigh turned Clement’s ball in entrance of the plate into one other double play and Randy Arozarena made a leaping seize on the wall within the eighth to rob Clement of a possible residence run.
Over the lengthy haul, swing-and-miss remains to be a very good factor for pitching staffs, and Seattle’s hasn’t generated almost as a lot as Toronto’s: The Jays have swung and missed 70 instances in comparison with 102 for the Mariners.
Logan Gilbert, Seattle’s Recreation 6 starter, was a giant swing-and-miss pitcher throughout the common season with the third highest strikeout price amongst pitchers with no less than 100 innings, behind solely Zack Wheeler and Chris Sale. He lasted simply three innings in his Recreation 2 begin, nevertheless, producing simply 5 swinging strikes in 58 pitches. The Mariners will hope that poor effort was a results of beginning on two days of relaxation after pitching two innings in reduction within the 15-inning win over Detroit within the ALDS.
Likewise, Trey Yesavage, Toronto’s rookie starter who has pitched simply 23.1 innings within the huge leagues, will attempt to discover his type from his ALDS begin in opposition to the Yankees when he struck out 11 in 5.1 hitless innings. The Mariners obtained to him for 5 runs in 4 innings in Recreation 2 as he walked three, and Julio Rodriguez hit a three-run homer within the first inning.
Each managers have deployed fast hooks with the starters — and each noticed these strikes backfire within the three video games in Seattle. In Recreation 4, Wilson pulled Luis Castillo within the third inning after simply 48 pitches, the shortest begin of Castillo’s profession, and went early to his high-leverage relievers, however Gabe Speier walked in one among Castillo’s runs, and Matt Brash threw a wild pitch to let in one of many two runs Speier allowed. Wilson doubled in Recreation 5, pulling Bryce Miller after a leadoff single within the fifth although he had but to permit a run. Brash let that inherited runner rating, after which Bryan Woo later allowed one other run.
Blue Jays supervisor John Schneider’s choice in Recreation 5 may need been much more questionable, leaving nearer Jeff Hoffman within the pen within the eighth whereas going first to Brendon Little after which to Seranthony Dominguez, they usually mixed to permit 5 runs in blowing the 2-1 lead. Hoffman by no means obtained within the sport.
Little got here on and gave up the house run to Raleigh after which walked the following two batters.
“We talked about all of it sequence,” Schneider mentioned after the sport. “Little’s been one among our greatest pitchers in huge spots. Powerful man to raise. Cal’s a extremely good hitter. I get it, man. After that, you bought to calm down and throw strikes too. In order that’s been a part of Little’s sport. So has strikeouts. Once more, I belief each single man on this roster. It’s laborious. Nobody feels worse than Little, nobody feels worse than Ser proper now, or me. However I belief each single man on this roster. Right now it didn’t work out, however we’ve received two video games in a row a complete lot this yr.”
That’s the place we’re at: The Blue Jays must win two to succeed in their first World Collection since 1993. The Mariners want one to succeed in their first. Ohtani and the Dodgers await. Let’s play some ball.