SEATTLE — As the ball rolled rapidly toward the right-center-field wall, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.â€s eyes grew wide. For the fourth time in four at-bats Wednesday in ALCS Game 3, Guerrero had blistered an offering from a Mariners pitcher and was about to reap the rewards.
But this was more than just another well-struck ball. Guerreroâ€s first three hits of the night were a high-bouncing chopper that he legged out for an infield single, a screaming line-drive double that nearly dented the left-field fence and a booming home run to straightaway center field. If Guerrero kicked it into high gear as his fourth batted ball scurried toward the fence and raced for a triple, a cycle — just the second in MLB postseason history — was within reach.
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Alas, it was not to be. As Seattle center fielder Julio Rodriguez hustled over and hurried the ball in, Guerrero sensibly slowed at second and settled for his second double of the game, recognizing that pushing for a historic individual achievement amid a 12-2 playoff game posed more risk than reward. Still, he turned to his teammates and grinned, knowing what could have been.
“We were all yelling,†infielder Ernie Clement said afterward. “We couldn’t believe it. We wore him out.â€
“I didn’t even realize he was a triple shy,†third baseman Addison Barger said. “And then everybody’s like, ‘Go, go, go! Go to third!†And I said, ‘Why would he go to third? It’s, like, 12 to 2.’ And then I was like, ‘Oh, s***, he would’ve hit for the cycle.â€â€
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“He’s being smart. It could have been a play where he just slides and hurts himself,†conceded backup catcher Tyler Heineman, one of several teammates who was visibly disappointed as Guerrero coasted into second. “… I would have loved to see him do it just because I’ve never seen a cycle. But I’m just happy he had a good night.”
Cycle or not, one thing was clear: The Toronto Blue Jays were having a blast.
[Get more Toronto news: Blue Jays team feed]
Guerreroâ€s four-hit game was the headlining performance of a collective offensive outburst for the Blue Jays†lineup in Game 3, as Toronto emphatically distanced itself from an uncharacteristic no-show in the first two games of the series en route to a decisive 13-4 victory.
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Undaunted by the challenges of traveling cross-continent with a 2-0 series deficit and awakening an offense in the least hitter-friendly ballpark in the majors, the Blue Jays exploded for 18 hits, including five home runs. Every Toronto starter reached base at least once, eight scored at least one run, and six recorded multi-hit games. The 13 runs were the most the Mariners had allowed in a home game since June 30, 2023.
As usual, Guerrero was at the center of it all.
The face of the franchise completely torched the New York Yankees in the ALDS, demolishing any perception of October struggles after six poor games across three previous postseason appearances. But with the stakes higher in the championship series, even Guerreroâ€s spectacular showing against New York was quickly forgotten when he went hitless in both games in Toronto as the Blue Jays fell into a stunning hole to open the series against Seattle. As a whole, the Blue Jays mustered one hit after George Springerâ€s leadoff homer in a 3-1 loss in Game 1, and the offense evaporated again the next night, notching one hit over the final seven innings while the Mariners cruised to a 10-3 victory in Game 2.
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Combined with how formidable the Mariners looked on both sides of the ball in Toronto, the Blue Jays seemed to be in an especially precarious position as they headed west. But the consecutive lackluster showings at the plate were an extreme outlier for this unit, and that offered reason for optimism as the series shifted to Seattle.
“It’s not like we went out there and played our game and lost,†veteran pitcher Chris Bassitt said ahead of Game 3. “We still have a lot of confidence in our game and how we play and what we do.â€
That confidence was rightfully rooted in a full-season sample that indicated the Blue Jays†offense was not to be taken lightly, having led MLB in batting average and on-base percentage while ranking fourth in runs per game. And sure enough, in Game 3, led by Guerreroâ€s humongous display at the plate — the kind that has so often gone hand-in-hand with his teamâ€s success — the Blue Jays got back to playing their game, making this ALCS all the more compelling.
“He’s our heart and soul,†Clement said of his superstar teammate. “He carries the load. The last few years, I’ve seen him struggle, I’ve seen him be the best hitter on the planet. I see the work that he puts in. And to see him have success on the biggest stage, when everybody knows we need him to do it, is special.â€
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Said Barger: “Even if he’s off, he’s still gonna produce with the best of them. But when he’s on, it’s scary — there’s not much they can do. I feel bad for the pitchers.”
Torontoâ€s confidence that the bats would break out proved warranted, as the Blue Jays tagged Seattle starter George Kirby for eight runs Wednesday before adding five more against the underbelly of the Mariners†bullpen. But Torontoâ€s outlook on the mound was less certain entering Game 3. Taking the ball was high-profile trade-deadline acquisition Shane Bieber after his first postseason showing as a Blue Jay went rather poorly, with Bieber recording just eight outs in Torontoâ€s lone loss to the Yankees in the ALDS.
Bieberâ€s second outing didnâ€t inspire much confidence in the early going, either, as Julio Rodriguez destroyed a poorly located fastball in the bottom of the first inning for a quick 2-0 Mariners lead that sent T-Mobile Park into an immediate frenzy. For a Blue Jays team desperate for any semblance of momentum, it was an ominous opening. But Bieber remained confident that he could turn his outing around.
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“It was an unfortunate start, but I came into the dugout and told the guys, ‘Pick me up.†Like, ‘I got good stuff tonight,â€â€ Bieber said afterward. “And they definitely listened and picked me up in a huge way, and I was able to go back out there … and reestablish what I wanted to do.â€
In an era defined by high-end velocity, Bieber, whose fastball maxed out at 93.7 mph in Game 3, thrives on precision and sequencing, rather than rearing back and unleashing hellacious heat. And after his one glaring mistake to Rodriguez — and after the Blue Jays supplied him with five runs of support in the top of third inning — Bieber hit his stride and started to carve through the Mariners†lineup with a balanced diet of his five-pitch mix. The slider was the star, coaxing seven whiffs on a dozen swings. But the changeup, knuckle-curve and cutter all served as valuable weapons, in turn making his fastball more effective as the game went along. The pitchâ€s infrequent and unpredictable deployment actually made it more difficult to handle, despite its pedestrian velocity.
After that first inning, just two more baserunners reached against Bieber, as he completed six frames on 88 pitches with eight strikeouts and just the two runs allowed on the Rodriguez blast. As it turned out, after ace Kevin Gausman had an untimely misstep late in Game 1 and multiple key arms surrendered runs in an ugly Game 2, Bieber served as a much-needed stabilizing force on the mound for Toronto.
“It’s fun to watch guys like that work,†manager John Schneider said afterward. “It was exactly what we needed tonight.â€
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With the tone of the series firmly altered by Torontoâ€s resounding triumph in Game 3, the focus now shifts back to the home team and its ability to bounce back from another postseason pitfall. The Mariners were able to do just that after ALDS Game 4 in Detroit, which followed a similar script to Wednesdayâ€s loss, with an enticing early lead crumbling into a noncompetitive blowout loss.
Seattleâ€s epic effort in the 15-inning Game 5 to take down the Tigers was an encouraging display of the teamâ€s resilience, but it held significant advantages over Detroit from a talent standpoint. In Thursdayâ€s ALCS Game 4 and beyond, the Mariners face a much taller task against the top-seeded Blue Jays, regardless of how the first two games unfolded.
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“Momentum can be a real thing,†Schneider said. “But we’re going to approach tomorrow like the series is 0-0 and continue to try to do everything we can do to win tomorrow.â€
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