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The Seattle Mariners can advance to their first World Series in franchise history while the Toronto Blue Jays aim to force a Game 7 at home as the 2025 ALCS heads back to Rogers Centre for Game 6.
Follow live for play-by-play updates and real-time expert analysis from The Athletic’s team of MLB writers through the final out and beyond.
▶️: J.P. Crawford shows his patience at the plate, drawing the first Trey Yesavage walk. It is Seattle's first baserunner tonight. | Top 3rd Blue Jays 2, Mariners 0
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Trey Yesavage is going to his fastball less in the first two innings. It was his most-used pitch in his first start this series, which was an ugly one. So far, he's relying more on his slider and splitter, and only thrown his four-seamer six times. The results have been good. Six up and six down.
Just when it looked like Eugenio Suárez’s defensive limitations were being targeted and exposed, he snared one to end the inning.
Below are the pitch counts for the starting pitchers through two innings tonight:
Trey Yesavage: 23
Logan Gilbert: 47
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s blistering ground out to end the 2nd inning had an exit velocity of 116 mph, making it the hardest-hit ball of this ALCS.
In our Game 4 takeaways, friendly Canadian beat writer Mitch Bannon wrote this about the Jays’ lineup depth:
💬: “It’s the kind of thing that distinguishes real World Series contenders.”
He’s right, and we're seeing that depth at play here in the second inning. Another good insight from Mitch: the Jays owned the second-best bottom of the order in the American League this year. Their 6-9 posted a 99 wRC+.
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For the second game in a row, the Jays strand the bases loaded. They scored two in the second inning tonight, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drills a ground ball to end the threat.
Much has been made of Toronto’s bullpen moves in Game 5, but they also went two for 11 with runners in scoring position. Hard to miss those opportunities and still win in October.
▶️ What a play by Eugenio Suárez, who gets the stop at third base off of a liner from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The Mariners get out of the inning only giving up two runs. Toronto needed to score more there but is on the board thanks to Seattle's defensive mistakes. | Top 3rd Blue Jays 2, Mariners 0
▶️: Logan Gilbert strikes out Nathan Lukes with the splitter. It sets up an interesting matchup with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Bases loaded and two outs. Here we go. | Bottom 2nd Blue Jays 2, Mariners 0
That pitch selection to Springer surprised me, given how pained his swings looked in the first inning. A four pitch walk, with three sliders way out of the zone. Not a good at-bat there from Logan Gilbert.
▶️ Incredible patience from George Springer at the plate. He draws a four-pitch walk to load the bases. It is bases loaded one out for Nathan Lukes. | Bottom 2nd Blue Jays 2, Mariners 0
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One of the best parts of Cal Raleigh's historic season, aside from all those dingers, is seeing and hearing just how grueling the catching position is. Raleigh absolutely threw himself into that pitch to protect a would-be run. Sure that run scored on Eugenio Suárez's error but it's just another example of how difficult things are for backstops.
I’d like to remind you that Isiah Kiner-Falefa was traded away by the Blue Jays at last year’s trade deadline. They sent him to the playoff hopeful … Pittsburgh Pirates? This year, he went back the other direction when the Pirates waived him in late August.
And gets Toronto's second RBI of Game 6!
For those asking: Ernie Who? I get it. Ernie Clement is a rather anonymous former Virginia Cavalier. He rated in the 10th percentile or worse in exit velo, barrel rate, bat seed, chase rate and walk rate this season. He is not a perfect player, by any means. Yet the man does. not. strike. out. Any when you’ve got two on, no outs and a two-strike count, there was nobody the Blue Jays would rather have had in that batter’s box.
This is a precarious position for Seattle. Not only are two runs in with no outs, but there's chance for a big inning. On top of that, Logan Gilbert's pitch count is nearing 40 with zero outs in the second inning. The Mariners might need to get to the pen earlier than expected tonight…with an increasingly likely chance of a Game 7 tomorrow night.
▶️: You put the bat on the ball and good things happen. Isiah Kiner-Falefa reaches first safe on an infield single. Ernie Clement hustles home to extend Toronto's lead. This is Blue Jays baseball at its finest. | Bottom 2nd Blue Jays 2, Mariners 0
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Among qualified third baseman, Eugenio Suárez ranked 32nd in the league in OAA with -5. There's only 39 qualified players…
Should Seattle make it to the World Series, the Mariners will get to play against the person ranked No. 34 on the leaderboard, Max Muncy. The Dodgers' third baseman has -6 OAA on the year.
They changed the official scoring on Daulton Varsho's leadoff double — it's now a single, advancing to second on an error by center fielder Julio Rodriguez. So, officially now, that's two errors by the Mariners in the bottom of this second inning, with one run in, two on and no outs.
▶️ Addison Barger comes through for the Blue Jays. A fastball hovers in the middle of the plate and Barger blasts the ball into right field. Daulton Varsho scores from second. Now it's runners on the corners and nobody out. Isiah Kiner-Falefa is up to bat. | Bottom 2nd Blue Jays 1, Mariners 0
