Toronto Blue Jays players watch from the dugout during the ninth inning in Game 5 of baseball's American League Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
October 18, 2025 - 3:00 AM
TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays were only two innings away from a three-game sweep in Seattle.
Instead, a five-run outburst in the eighth inning by the Mariners erased a 2-1 deficit and gave the AL West Division champions a 6-2 win, and 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series.
The Jays are headed home and face a must-win Game 6 on Sunday night at Rogers Centre to keep their World Series hopes alive.
They'll need to forget Friday's bullpen meltdown — and clutch home runs by Cal Raleigh and Eugenio Suarez — and push the reset button. If they're looking for positives they outhit the Mariners 7-5 in Game 5, and found their offence in 13-4 and 8-2 wins on the West Coast.
Rookie right-hander Trey Yesavage will get the start for the Blue Jays on Sunday. He'll be aiming to get the Jays to a winner-take-all showdown on Monday in Toronto, with the winner facing the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.
The Mariners, who won the first two games in Toronto by 3-1 and 10-3 scores, have yet to name a starter for Game 6.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 18, 2025.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2025