The Mariners’ next game will be the first of its kind.
Seattle had hoped that would mean World Series. Instead, it means the franchise’s first Game 7.
The Mariners dug themselves into a hole and then threw away the ladder, leaving seven runners on base over three consecutive inning-ending double plays. The first two came with the bases loaded, and all came on the swings of some of the team’s most reliable hitters.
The Mariners committed three errors on Sunday, nearly accounting for the entire margin of their 6-2 loss to Toronto.
What seems like an easy win by Toronto in fact came down to a matter of feet.
Just a few more feet on a Leo Rivas single that bounced off the top of the right field wall. A few feet to the left on Cal Raleigh’s grounder that shot 100.5 mph off the bat, but skipped right to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to begin the rare first baseman to shortstop to pitcher covering first base double-play.
A few more feet in those moments and a few innings earlier the Mariners could have chased starting pitcher Trey Yesavage, who allowed all those baserunners but is a dangerous strikeout pitcher, and gotten into Toronto’s less -capable bullpen.
Raleigh’s bases-loaded double play came in the third inning, and was a lowlight of what had to be the worst game of this MVP -hopeful’s season. The star catcher struck out every other trip to the plate and gifted the Blue Jays a run with an errant, ill-advised throw to third base hoping to catch Guerrero Jr., who was easily advancing to third on a wild pitch, and scored when Raleigh’s throw sailed wide of Eugenio Suarez.
Still, a 23- pitch inning from Yesavage meant the rookie pitcher looked like he was laboring when the cameras showed him in the dugout. Maybe the Mariners could put something together and draw out Toronto’s mediocre bullpen.
Nah. While Seattle loaded the bases again in the top of the fourth, J.P. Crawford swung on an 0-2 pitch way outside the zone and ended the inning with yet another grounder for a double-play.
In the fifth it was Julio Rodriguez’s turn to ground out and end an inning, although in his case at least only one runner was left stranded.
It was an inauspicious day for Logan Gilbert, though the first two Toronto runners to cross the plate were unearned. Instead, fielding errors by Julio Rodriguez and Eugenio Suarez on consecutive plays put runners aboard, and Gilbert gave up two singles after the fact to bring them home. Gilbert then walked George Springer but a pair of strikeouts and a grounder from Guerrero Jr. got him out of the jam.
Gilbert seemed to settle in and got two quick outs in the bottom of the third, before an Ernie Clement triple and Addison Barger home run made it 4-0 Blue Jays.
To the Mariners’ credit, they kept fighting. Josh Naylor crushed a home run at the top of the sixth inning, and Randy Arozarena singled the following at-bat to get Yesavage out of the game. Eugenio Suarez singled off replacement Louis Varland, bringing home Arozarena and bringing the Mariners within three runs.
By finally scoring some two-out runs, Seattle restored the comeback threat and was able to force Toronto manager John Schneider to use his preferred relievers as well and give the teams a more equal shot in Monday’s rubber match.
Toronto closer Jeff Hoffman pitched the final two innings and Louis Varland contributed one and a third. For the Mariners, Eduard Bazardo continued his postseason excellence with two scoreless frames, and setup man Matt Brash did pitch an inning. But Gabe Speier and Andres Munoz are rested.
It will be all -hands -on -deck Monday for a game that will end one team’s season and send another to the World Series. Hopefully Seattle’s hands got all those errors out of their system.