Toronto Blue Jays vs Seattle Mariners
October 12, 2025, 8:03 EDT
FOX
The ALCS matchup turned out as well as it could, considering the bracket setup. The Blue Jays are the worst and I hate them, but they
are still preferable to the Yankees and the Red Sox. The more palatable teams were all matched up against each other in the Wild Card and ALDS. The Mariners outlasted the Tigers in 15 innings two days ago to move on.
The Mariners are playing in their first ALCS since 2001, when they lost to the Yankees. They have never been to the World Series. The Blue Jays were last in the ALCS in 2016, when they lost to Cleveland. They last appeared in the World Series in 1993. They won that year, defeating the Phillies. No matter which of these teams prevails, it’ll be nice to see a fresh face representing the American League.
The Mariners going to the World Series would be a great story, and I hope they succeed. But they barely edged out the Tigers. My heart wants the Mariners to win, but my head thinks the Blue Jays will take the series. How about you?
It is a lopsided pitching matchup to start things off, thanks to the Mariners’ marathon winner-takes-all game against the Tigers two days ago. The Mariners used three of their starting pitchers in the game. George Kirby started, Logan Gilbert pitched in middle relief, and Luis Castillo closed things out. Top starter Bryan Woo is recovering from pectoral inflammation and unavailable today, though he is on the roster and expected to pitch later.
And so the Mariners are sending Bryce Miller to the mound tonight against the Jays’ ace Kevin Gausman. Miller was limited to 18 starts in the regular season due to an elbow injury, and when he was pitching, he was bad. He had a 5.68 ERA and 1.406 WHIP. He made one start against the Tigers in the ALDS, allowing two runs in 4.1 innings.
The Blue Jays, on the other hand, haven’t played since last Wednesday. They can send Gausman out to pitch game one. The former Oriole had a 3.59 ERA and 1.062 WHIP in 32 starts and is the top pitcher on the team. Gausman started game one of the ALDS vs the Yankees and allowed one run in 5.2 innings as the Jays won, 10-1.
Blue Jays lineup
- George Springer (R) DH
- Nathan Lukes (L) RF
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (R) 1B
- Addison Barger (L) 3B
- Alejandro Kirk (R) C
- Daulton Varsho (L) CF
- Ernie Clement (R) 2B
- Anthony Santander (S) LF
- Andrés Giménez (L) SS
The Blue Jays left Bo Bichette off the ALCS roster due to a knee injury, which is a blow to their offense. Bichette had a great season. I wouldn’t mind seeing Anthony Santander hit a few dingers in the series.
Mariners lineup
- Randy Arozarena (R) LF
- Cal Raleigh (S) C
- Julio Rodríguez (R) CF
- Jorge Polanco (S) 2B
- Josh Naylor (L) 1B
- Eugenio Suárez (R) 3B
- Dominic Canzone (L) DH
- Victor Robles (R) RF
- J.P. Crawford (L) SS
I don’t generally think of the Mariners as an offensive force, but there is no denying they have some big hitters this year. Cal Raleigh played MVP-caliber baseball all year. Julio Rodríguez had the kind of season everyone thought he’d have every year. Josh Naylor and Jorge Polanco are both playing surprisingly well.
