“A lot of guts for a young guy,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider.
After getting just two whiffs on his splitter in Game 2, Yesavage got 10 in Game 6 while striking out seven.
The Blue Jays superstar was 2-for-4 on Sunday and is now slashing .447/.522/1.000 this postseason, leading all players in hits, homers and RBIs.
The Blue Jays, meanwhile, are looking to make it to their first World Series in 32 years.
‘Game 7, give it all you have’ 😤 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on Blue Jays CLUTCH win vs. Mariners In that aforementioned ALDS Game 5, Mariners starters George Kirby, Gilbert and Luis Castillo all pitched.
It will go to the maximum, but the National League Championship Series was decided with the minimum.
The Mariners were stifled in Game 6 of the ALCS by a 22-year-old rookie starter who had other ideas in a 6-2 Blue Jays victory, depriving them of a chance to make it to the World Series for the first time in their franchise’s history Sunday night in Toronto. This set up a winner-take-all Game 7 on Monday night.
Here’s what I learned.
1. . When the season is at stake, the Jays’ rookie emerges victorious.
Trey Yesavage and Logan Gilbert did not leave with an outstanding line the last time they faced each other in Game 2. In the American League Division Series, Yesavage was unable to confuse Blue Jays hitters with his splitter the way he did against the Yankees, and Gilbert appeared rusty after only two days of rest following his call-up to assist in ending the Tigers in the ALDS.
The veteran Gilbert would appear to have the advantage over the 22-year-old trying to salvage Toronto’s season in his sixth career big-league appearance, especially since he had five days off before their next matchup. Nevertheless, Yesavage accepted the challenge.
According to Blue Jays manager John Schneider, “a lot of guts for a young guy.”.
Yesavage struck out seven and got 10 in Game 6 after only getting two whiffs on his splitter in Game 2. We’ll talk about that later. He kept the Mariners scoreless for the first five innings before having trouble in the sixth. He got the ball on the ground when he needed to. Toronto already had the advantage by that point. Gilbert had also long since left.
For a pitcher like Gilbert who had the highest strikeout rate in the American League this season, the Blue Jays are a dangerous opponent because they are excellent at getting the ball in play. They hammered five runs (four earned) on seven hits over four plus innings in Game 5 to once again end the night early for the Mariners’ outstanding right-hander, who had previously tagged Gilbert for three runs (two earned) on five hits over three innings in Game 2.
2. Mariners are seeing double.
Although Yesavage had only played in three major league games during the regular season and two during the postseason prior to Sunday, he had yet to record a double-play grounder during that time.
He now has three following the ALCS Game 6.
The Mariners loaded the bases with one out for their MVP candidate, threatening to answer the Blue Jays’ first two runs of the game in the second. Cal Raleigh’s game-winning home run in the eighth inning of Game 5 two nights earlier served as the catalyst for Eugenio Suarez’s heroics in the closing seconds.
Raleigh had another opportunity to put the Mariners back in control of the game on Sunday, but he was unable to fulfill that role. He received a splitter from Yesavage to hit in the zone, and he struck Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with it hard but on the ground. who, to get away, initiated a 3-6-1 double play.
A theme would emerge from that.
One inning later, with one out and the bases loaded, the Mariners were in the same situation. Another splitter from Yesavage was skillfully executed low and out of the zone this time, earning J. P. . A double play that ends the inning will be rolled into by Crawford.
Getting Julio Rodriguez to put one on the ground in the fifth inning allowed Yesavage to make it three consecutive inning-ending double plays. The Mariners had only two chances with runners in scoring position that evening, and they were hitless.
3. Mariners tighten as they have a chance to create franchise history.
For the first time in the history of the Mariners’ franchise, they came within one game of winning the World Series.
And it appeared as though Seattle was aware of that fact on Sunday night.
The Mariners made three double plays on the ground. They also made three mistakes in defense.
By taking advantage of the Mariners’ mistakes, the Blue Jays score two runs and take the lead early.
Daulton Varsho hit a hit in the gap in the second inning, and it popped out of center fielder Julio Rodriguez’s glove, giving Varsho time to reach second. Third baseman Eugenio Suárez was able to reach on the error and put two on after Ernie Clement hit a hard grounder that popped out of his glove one batter later. In the end, both runners scored. With Guerrero grounding at 116 mph with the bases loaded, Suárez made up for the earlier error with a spectacular diving play to save a few runs and end the inning, but the damage was already done.
The Mariners would continue to be plagued by the uncharacteristic errors. Leo Rivas struck a ball off the right-field wall in the third inning, but he was only allowed to score a single when J. P. . Crawford waited to see if the ball would be caught, but he was unable to reach third. That frame ended without a Mariners goal.
Raleigh’s throw to third base was low and wide, and the ball sailed into left field. It felt like the dagger when the ball kicked away from Raleigh in the seventh, giving the Blue Jays some breathing room as Guerrero scored at home.
4. That guy is Vlad.
Guerrero’s postseason performance will go down in his team’s history books regardless of how Game 7 turns out.
To cap off Gilbert’s evening and continue to honor the Blue Jays for their $500 million commitment, Guerrero opened the fifth inning with a solo shot that launched his postseason franchise record sixth home run of the postseason.
On a throwing error two innings later, he scooted home after taking off for third base and safely getting in. As he took the field, he clapped his hands, bringing Toronto one step closer to making their first appearance in the World Series since 1993.
After going 2-for-4 on Sunday, the Blue Jays star is currently hitting .447. 522/1.000 this postseason, which is more hits, home runs, and RBIs than any other player.
4 ½. What happens next?
Seattle needed all five games, including 15 innings in the decisive Game 5, to defeat the Tigers, while the Blue Jays easily defeated the Yankees in four ALDS games.
Now, the Mariners will need to persevere if they hope to reach their franchise’s first-ever World Series. In contrast, the Blue Jays are hoping to qualify for their first World Series in thirty-two years. The victor will play in the World Series against the Dodgers.
“Game 7, give it your all” 😤 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on the Blue Jays’ decisive victory over… mariners.
George Kirby, Gilbert, and Luis Castillo were the Mariners’ starters in that ALDS Game 5 mentioned earlier. Once more, expect to see all hands on deck. In seven-game postseason series, teams with a 3-2 series lead have won 69 percent of the time, including 70 percent of the time in the League Championship Series.
Rowan Kavner writes about MLB for FOX Sports. The L was previously covered by him. a. The Dallas Cowboys, Dodgers, and LA Clippers. Born in California, raised in Texas, and returned to the West Coast in 2014, Rowan is an LSU alumnus. @RowanKavner is his Twitter handle.
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