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TORONTO — Look dad, Game 7!

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his sixth home run this postseason, rookie Trey Yesavage struck out seven in 5 2/3 innings and the Toronto Blue Jays pushed the American League Championship Series to the limit by beating the sloppy Seattle Mariners 6-2 on Sunday night.

The AL pennant will be decided Monday night in Toronto, the second Game 7 in Blue Jays history. Toronto lost to Kansas City in the 1985 ALCS.

“Got to enjoy it, man. This is what we sign up for,†Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “Itâ€s special and unique, but you have to look at it as a game.â€

For one famous baseball family, it will also be a first. Guerreroâ€s father, Hall of Fame outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, never played in a postseason Game 7 during his 16-year career.

“My dad was telling me, Game 7 is give it all you have,†the Toronto slugger said.

Seattle, the only big league team without a pennant, will play a Game 7 for the first time. The winner faces the NL champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series beginning Friday.

“Win or go home,†Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez said. “Weâ€re going to lay everything out there.â€

Addison Barger homered and drove in three early runs for the Blue Jays, who turned three double plays behind Yesavage — two of them to escape bases-loaded jams.

That made Toronto the first team to induce consecutive bases-loaded, inning-ending double plays in a postseason game, and only the fourth team to turn two in a single postseason game.

“I knew my defense had my back,†Yesavage said.

Toronto also took advantage of Seattleâ€s season-high three errors. By comparison, the Blue Jays have made four errors in 10 playoff games.

“Balls just kind of in and out of the glove there that put a couple extra guys on base,†Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “Unfortunately, it led to a couple runs.â€

Guerreroâ€s sixth career postseason homer — all this year — tied him with José Bautista and Joe Carter for the most in Blue Jays history.

“This is what you look for from one of the elite players in the game,†Schneider said.

Bautista threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game.

Toronto had lost its previous four games when facing postseason elimination. That streak stretched to Game 5 of the 2016 ALCS against Cleveland and included wild-card round losses to Tampa Bay in 2020, Seattle in 2022 and Minnesota in 2023.

Guerreroâ€s leadoff homer in the fifth made it 5-0 and chased Mariners starter Logan Gilbert. The right-hander allowed four earned runs and seven hits in four-plus innings.

“I thought he had a good fastball, especially early,†Wilson said. “His split was good at times. This is a tough lineup and they did what they had to do to get the ball in play.â€

Yesavage took a shutout into the sixth. He was charged with two runs and six hits, five of them singles. Five of his strikeouts came on his split-finger fastball, as did both double-play grounders with the bases loaded.

“I just believed in myself. I know my stuff plays at this level,†Yesavage said. “I know the defense behind me is going to play at the best of their abilities, and getting three double plays in back-to-back-to-back innings was huge.â€

The 22-year-old Yesavage threw a season-high 31 splitters. He got 10 whiffs on splitters and five more on sliders.

“He brings the energy,†Guerrero said. “Heâ€s young. He wants to win so bad.â€

Three of Yesavageâ€s six major league starts have come in the playoffs. Heâ€s won twice this postseason after winning one of three outings during the regular season.

Louis Varland got four outs and Jeff Hoffman struck out four over two hitless innings to end it.

The Mariners used two walks and a single to load the bases against Yesavage in the third but were denied when slugger Cal Raleigh grounded into a 3-6-1 double play started by Guerrero and completed by Yesavage covering first base. Raleighâ€s first-pitch grounder came off his bat at 101 mph.

“Underappreciated, I think, is how Vlad can play really deep because of his arm,†Schneider said. “In that situation, too, you need some wiggle room for a guy that hits the ball really hard.â€

Raleigh finished 0 for 4 with three strikeouts.

Seattle came up empty again after another bases-loaded opportunity in the fourth when J.P. Crawford grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.

The Mariners broke through and chased Yesavage in the sixth. Josh Naylorâ€s solo shot was his third home run of the playoffs. Yesavage exited after Randy Arozarenaâ€s base hit, and Eugenio Suárez greeted Varland with a bloop RBI single.

Toronto took advantage of fielding errors by Rodríguez in center field and Suárez at third base to score twice in the second, when Barger and Isiah Kiner-Falefa had RBI singles.

Ernie Clement hit a two-out triple off the left-field wall in the third and scored when Barger homered, his second of the postseason.

George Springer started at designated hitter for the Blue Jays and went 0 for 4 with a walk. Springer exited in the seventh inning of Fridayâ€s Game 5 loss in Seattle after he was hit on the right kneecap by a 95.6 mph pitch from Bryan Woo.

Guerrero was hit by a pitch from Seattle reliever Matt Brash in the seventh. Guerrero moved to second on Alejandro Kirkâ€s single and was advancing on a wild pitch when he scored on Raleighâ€s throwing error.

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Toronto is expected to start RHP Shane Bieber on Monday night. Bieber allowed two runs and four hits over six innings in Game 3, a 13-4 win for the Blue Jays. He struck out eight and walked one as he bounced back from a poor outing against the Yankees in the Division Series.

RHP George Kirby will start for Seattle. He allowed eight runs and eight hits, including three homers, over four innings in Game 3.

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Mohammed Shami hits back at India chief selector Ajit Agarkar:'It is all in front of your eyes'Mohammed Shami and Ajit Agarkar (Agency Photos) Pacer Mohammed Shami has responded to chief selector Ajit Agarkar’s comments about his fitness after a strong performance in the Ranji Trophy match for Bengal against Uttarakhand.The controversy emerged following Shami’s exclusion from India’s ODI squad for Australia, leading to a disagreement between the pacer and the chief selector.

‘Practically impossible to have three captains’: Ajit Agarkar explains why Shubman Gill succeeded Rohit Sharma as ODI skipper

“Let him say whatever he wants. You have seen how I bowled. It is all in front of your eyes,” Shami told reporters at the Eden Gardens at the end of the third day’s play.Agarkar had addressed the situation on Friday, expressing openness to including Shami in the team once he meets fitness requirements.”If Shami were here, I would give him an answer. If he is fit, why would we not have a bowler like Shami?” Agarkar questioned.”I have had multiple chats with him. Over the last six to eight months, what we have found out is that he was not fit. If he stays fit over the next few months, the story might be different, but he was not fit to be picked for the England tour,” Agarkar said.Shami demonstrated his capabilities in the Ranji Trophy opener by taking crucial wickets for Bengal. He concluded Uttarakhand’s first innings by claiming three wickets in a single over, securing a first-innings lead for his team.

Ranji numbers for Mohammed Shami:

  • Matches: 90
  • Wickets: 340
  • Best Bowling in an Innings: 7/79
  • Best Bowling in a Match: 11/151
  • Bowling Average: 27.31
  • 5-Wicket Hauls: 12
  • 10-Wicket Match Hauls: 2

His impressive form continued in Uttarakhand’s second innings, where he captured four wickets. Among his victims were skipper Kunal Chandela, who scored 72, along with Abhay Negi, Janmejay Joshi, and Rajan Kumar.The performance appeared to challenge Agarkar’s stance on Shami’s fitness being the reason for his non-selection.Prior to this match, Shami had expressed his disagreement with the BCCI selectors’ explanation. He argued that his participation in four-day games contradicted their fitness concerns.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani has propelled the Los Angeles Dodgers back to the World Series with a two-way performance for the ages.

Ohtani hit three mammoth homers and struck out 10 while pitching into the seventh inning, and the Dodgers swept the Milwaukee Brewers out of the NL Championship Series with a 5-1 victory in Game 4 on Friday night.

The Dodgers will have a chance to be baseballâ€s first repeat World Series champions in a quarter-century after this mind-blowing night for the three-time MVP Ohtani, who emphatically ended a quiet postseason by his lofty standards. Ohtani was named the NLCS MVP essentially on the strength of this one unforgettable game.

“It was really fun on both sides of the ball today,†Ohtani said through his interpreter. “As a representative (of the team), Iâ€m taking this trophy, and letâ€s get four more wins.â€

After striking out three in the top of the first inning of Game 4, Ohtani hit the first leadoff homer by a pitcher in major league history off Brewers starter José Quintana.

Ohtani followed with a 469-foot blast in the fourth, clearing a pavilion roof in right-center.

Ohtani added a third solo shot in the seventh, becoming the 12th player in major league history to hit three homers in a playoff game. His three homers traveled a combined 1,342 feet.

Ohtani (2-0) also thoroughly dominated the Brewers in his second career postseason mound start, allowing two hits in his first double-digit strikeout game in a Dodgers uniform.

“Sometimes youâ€ve got to check yourself and touch him to make sure heâ€s not just made of steel,†said Freddie Freeman, last seasonâ€s World Series MVP. “Absolutely incredible. Biggest stage, and he goes out and does something like that. Itâ€ll probably be remembered as the Shohei Ohtani game.â€

After the Brewers†first two batters reached in the seventh, he left the mound to a stadium-shaking ovation — and after Alex Vesia escaped the jam, Ohtani celebrated by hitting his third homer in the bottom half.

The powerhouse Dodgers are the first team to win back-to-back pennants since Philadelphia in 2009. Los Angeles is back in the World Series for the fifth time in nine seasons, and it will attempt to become baseballâ€s first repeat champs since the New York Yankees won three straight World Series from 1998 to 2000.

“That was special,†Freeman said. “Weâ€ve just been playing really good baseball for a while now, and the inevitable kind of happened today — Shohei. Oh my God. Iâ€m still speechless.â€

After capping a 9-1 rampage through the NL playoffs with this singular performance by Ohtani, the Dodgers are headed to the World Series for the 23rd time in franchise history, including 14 pennants since moving from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. Only the Yankees, last yearâ€s opponent, have made more appearances in the Fall Classic (41).

Los Angeles will have a week off before the World Series begins next Friday, either in Toronto or at Dodger Stadium against Seattle. The Mariners beat the Blue Jays 6-2 earlier Friday to take a 3-2 lead in the ALCS, which continues Sunday at Rogers Centre.

The Dodgers had never swept an NLCS in 16 previous appearances, but they became only the fifth team to sweep this series while thoroughly dominating a 97-win Milwaukee club. Los Angeles is the first team to sweep a best-of-seven postseason series since 2022, and the first to sweep an NLCS since Washington in 2019.

“Iâ€ll tell you, before this season started, they said the Dodgers are ruining baseball,†Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts shouted to the crowd during the on-field celebration. “Letâ€s get four more wins and really ruin baseball!â€

The NL Central champion Brewers were eliminated by the Dodgers for the third time during their current stretch of seven playoff appearances in eight years. Even after setting a franchise record for wins this season, Milwaukee is still waiting for its first World Series appearance since 1982.

“We were part of tonight an iconic, maybe the best individual performance ever in a postseason game,†Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said. “I donâ€t think anybody can argue with that. A guy punches out 10 and hits three homers.â€

The Brewers had never been swept in a playoff series longer than a best-of-three, but their bats fell silent in the NLCS against the Dodgers†brilliant starting rotation. Los Angeles†four starters combined to pitch 28 2/3 innings with two earned runs allowed and 35 strikeouts.

The Dodgers added two more runs in the first after Ohtaniâ€s tone-setting homer, with Mookie Betts and Will Smith both singling and scoring.

Jackson Chourio doubled leading off the fourth for Milwaukeeâ€s first hit, but Ohtani stranded him with a groundout and two strikeouts.

Struggling Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen allowed two more baserunners in the eighth, and Caleb Durbin scored when Brice Turang beat out his potential double-play grounder before Anthony Banda ended the inning.

Roki Sasaki pitched the ninth in the latest successful relief outing for the Dodgers†unlikely closer.

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TORONTO — Two games into the AL Championship Series against Seattle, the Toronto Blue Jays look like a different team from the one that pounded the New York Yankees.

“Always going to have optimism about this team,†manager John Schneider said after a 10-3 loss to the Mariners dropped Toronto into a 2-0 series deficit. “Weâ€ve got to figure out a way to limit damage, one, and then two, generate more offense

Of the 27 teams winning the first two games on the road of a best-of-seven series during the 2-3-2 format, 24 have gone on to win.

Toronto, which led the majors with 49 comeback wins in the regular season, is trying to reach the World Series for the first time since winning its second straight title in 1993.

Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was 0 for 3 with a walk and is 0 for 7 in the series. Guerrero went 9 for 17 with three homers and nine RBIs in four games against the Yankees.

Toronto has four runs and eight hits — just two for extra bases — in the two games against Seattle. Just one hit has come after the second inning.

Toronto went 40-41 on the road in the regular season but swept a three-game series at Seattle in May.

“We have a good day tomorrow to reset as a team and get ready for Game 3 and whatever happens there,†said rookie Trey Yesavage, the Game 2 loser. “I wouldnâ€t count this group out. This group is special.â€

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Oct 12, 2025, 09:52 PM ET

TORONTO — The Blue Jays’ George Springer homered on the first pitch from Seattle’s Bryce Miller in the American League Championship Series opener Sunday, moving past the New York Yankees’ Derek Jeter into sole possession of fifth place on the career list with his 21st postseason home run.

Springer’s 385-foot drive to right field on a fastball at the outside corner put Toronto ahead with the first postseason leadoff home run in Blue Jays history. Springer has 63 leadoff homers in the regular season, second to Rickey Henderson’s record 81.

“I was just kind of looking for something to hit,” Springer said following Toronto’s 3-1 defeat. “It wasn’t anything specific.”

Manny Ramirez hit a record 29 postseason homers and is trailed by Jose Altuve (27), Kyle Schwarber (23) and Bernie Williams (22).

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Also in the first inning, Blue Jays outfielder Nathan Lukes fouled a ball off his right knee, falling in pain. He stayed in the game and drew a 12-pitch walk, then flied out leading off the third and was replaced by Myles Straw for the start of the fourth.

The team said Lukes bruised the knee. Manager John Schneider said imaging showed that Lukes did not sustain a fracture and that he might return in Monday’s Game 2.

Lukes went 4-for-12 with five RBIs in Toronto’s division series win over the Yankees, including a key two-run single in the Game 4 clincher. He also made a diving catch in Toronto’s Game 1 win.

Seattle has won three of four games at Toronto this year.

“Everybody knows, obviously, what we need to do,” Springer said. “If some balls fall, obviously it’s a little bit of a different story.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Things got chippy after the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Detroit Lions on Sunday night.

As time expired on the Chiefs’ 30-17 victory, Detroit’s Brian Branch walked toward Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and hit him in the head.

Things quickly escalated, and the two sides exchanged some shoves before finally going their separate ways.

Smith-Schuster was seen walking to the locker room with a towel over his nose after the altercation.

Before slapping Smith-Schuster, Branch brushed off a handshake with quarterback Patrick Mahomes. After the game, Mahomes said his teammates aren’t interested in keeping the battle going once the game ends.

“We play the game in between the whistles,” Mahomes said on the NBC broadcast. “They can do all the extracurricular stuff they want to do, but we play the game in between the whistles.”

Lions head coach Dan Campbell called Branch’s actions “inexcusable” and offered an apology to the Chiefs.

“I love Brian Branch, but what he did is inexcusable,” Campbell told reporters. “It’s not going to be accepted here. It’s not what we do, it’s not what we’re about. I apologize to Coach [Andy] Reid and the Chiefs and Smith-Schuster. That’s not okay, that’s not what we do here. It’s not going to be okay, he knows it, our team knows it.”

Things didn’t get too chippy between the Chiefs and Lions during the game, but it was a frustrating night for Detroit. Kansas City had one of its best performances of the season as Mahomes threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns, adding 32 rushing yards and a score on the ground.

It’s unclear whether Branch will face a fine or suspension, but Sunday wasn’t the first time the third-year safety has been involved in extracurriculars. Last season, he was ejected from a game against the Green Bay Packers for an illegal hit and was handed a fine for giving the crowd the middle finger on his way off the field. He was also fined for two separate hits against the Arizona Cardinals last year.

Branch, who earned his first Pro Bowl nod a season ago, has recorded 33 tackles and five passes defended through six games as the Lions have gone 4-2. Detroit will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week.

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West Indies pacer hits Yashasvi Jaiswal with ball; fined for'inappropriate' conductJayden Seales was fined for hitting Yashasvi Jaiswal for hitting the ball while attempting a run out (Images via PTI & AP) West Indies pacer Jayden Seales has been fined 25 per cent of his match fee and given one demerit point for a Level 1 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct during the opening day of the second Test against India at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The incident took place on Friday in the 29th over of Indiaâ€s first innings when Seales, after fielding the ball on his follow-through, threw it at batter Yashasvi Jaiswal and hit him on the pads. An ICC statement confirmed, “Seales was found to have breached Article 2.9 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to ‘throwing a ball (or any other item of cricket equipment) at or near a player in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner during an International Matchâ€.†The governing body further added, “In addition to this, one demerit point has been added to Seales†disciplinary record, taking his total demerit points to two in a 24-month period.†His previous demerit point was recorded during a Test match against Bangladesh in December 2024. Seales contested the sanction proposed by match referee Andy Pycroft, which led to a formal hearing. According to the ICC, “Seales contested that he was attempting a run out. But the Match Referee, who referred to replay clips showing the incident from different angles, concluded that the throw was unnecessary and inappropriate, hitting the batter on the pads when he was within the crease.†The charge was laid by on-field umpires Richard Illingworth and Paul Reiffel, third umpire Alex Wharf, and fourth umpire K.N. Ananthapadmanabhan. The ICC noted that “Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand, a maximum penalty of 50 per cent of a playerâ€s match fee, and one or two demerit points.â€

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Do you believe Seales’ throw was intentional or accidental?

The incident occurred during a dominant start to Indiaâ€s innings, with Jaiswal at the crease after his fluent double century in the first Test at Ahmedabad. While the throw did not cause injury, the match referee ruled it to be “inappropriate conduct†under the gameâ€s disciplinary code.

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MILWAUKEE – Before the 2025 season began, Andrew Vaughn still hadnâ€t lived up to the lofty expectations bestowed upon him as the third overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft.

Eight months later, Vaughn is the poster child for a change of scenery.

Vaughn belted the go-ahead solo shot against Cubs right-hander Colin Rea in the fourth inning of the Brewers†3-1 clincher in Game 5 of the National League Division Series on Saturday night at American Family Field.

His second home run of the NLDS – what he called the biggest swing of his life – came on a middle-middle cutter that he drilled over the left-field wall to cap a seven-pitch at-bat.

“I blacked out,†Vaughn said. “I felt like I was on the clouds just trying to make sure I hit every base.â€

Well before Vaughn could imagine clutch postseason home runs, he slugged 77 taters for the White Sox from 2021-25. But Chicago optioned a struggling Vaughn (career-worst .532 OPS) to Triple-A Charlotte on May 23 for a reset, where he played for 15 games.

While Vaughn tried to regain his confidence in the White Sox system, right-hander Aaron Civale, then with the Brewers, wanted to remain in Milwaukeeâ€s rotation or be traded to another team that would use him as a starter. On June 13, the White Sox and Brewers struck a deal: Milwaukee sent Civale and cash to Chicago for Vaughn, who has one more year of club control via arbitration.

Just like that, Vaughn went from one of the worst teams in baseball to the best. He still remembers that initial call from the Brewers, one that included a simple enough message: “Just play free, be myself, go back to my roots and just have fun playing the game. Nothing huge. I think the best message was, ‘Swing at strikes, take balls and just be better at that.â€â€

“He fits our mantra as well,†general manager Matt Arnold said. “This guy’s a gamer, and he’s been through a lot, and he’s failed, just like all of us, right? We’ve all failed in this sport. If you haven’t, you haven’t been doing it long enough, and so we’ve all failed. And for that guy to come in here and be himself and put the team on his back at times this year is really awesome.â€

But Vaughnâ€s Brewers journey didnâ€t start at American Family Field. Milwaukee assigned him to Triple-A Nashville, where he played 15 games, and didnâ€t recall him until July 7 – when first baseman Rhys Hoskins landed on the injured list with a sprained left thumb.

“I didn’t say much to him,†Brewers manager Pat Murphy recalled. “I just said, ‘Hey, great to have you here. Here’s the deal: You’ll go back to Triple-A if you chase.†So I don’t know if he even understood what I was talking about, or even listened to it. I just said, ‘Hey, if you start chasing, you’re going back to Triple-A.â€

“He got there at noon, and the game was at 7. I said, ‘And by the way, you’re starting tonight. And some guy named [Yoshinobu] Yamamoto [is pitching], I think he’s pretty good, so take a look.â€â€

Vaughn didnâ€t go deep over his final 35 regular-season games, or in Game 1 of the NLDS (a span totaling 146 plate appearances). But he snapped out of it with a three-run blast in an historic first inning in a Game 2 victory, and once again in Saturdayâ€s win, which also featured long balls from William Contreras and Brice Turang.

“He’s just a great dude,†said Christian Yelich, Milwaukeeâ€s longest-tenured position player. “This game’s about perseverance and just really, really proud of him.â€

“The journey has been kind of crazy, but not taking anything for granted,†Vaughn said. “The opportunity to be with this group, it’s changed my life, honestly. And just grateful for it.â€

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SEATTLE (AP) Jorge Polanco hit a game-ending single in the 15th inning, and the Seattle Mariners advanced to the AL Championship Series by outlasting the Detroit Tigers for a 3-2 victory Friday night in the longest winner-take-all postseason game in baseball history.

With one out and the bases loaded, Polanco drove in J.P. Crawford with a liner to right on a full-count changeup from Tommy Kahnle. Crawford held his arms in the air as he touched home plate while the Mariners poured out of the dugout to celebrate in front of a frenzied crowd of 47,025.

Crawford hit a leadoff single, Randy Arozarena was hit by a pitch and Julio Rodríguez was intentionally walked before Polancoâ€s big swing on the 472nd pitch of an epic Game 5 that clocked in at 4 hours, 58 minutes.

It was the third one-run game – all with a 3-2 score – in a tightly contested AL Division Series.

“I know we played a long game, but this team never gave up,†Polanco said. “I know there is a lot of emotion, but we are always trying to keep it simple. Iâ€m just trying to go out there and play and trying to get the win.â€

The Mariners left 12 runners on base and still managed to advance to the ALCS for the first time since 2001. Next up is a matchup with the AL East champion Blue Jays, beginning on Sunday night at Toronto.

“Just an incredible ballgame from top to bottom,†Mariners manager Dan Wilson said.

Luis Castillo pitched 1 1/3 innings for the win in his first major league relief appearance. Logan Gilbert, another member of Seattleâ€s rotation, worked two scoreless innings in his first relief outing since his college days at Stetson University in 2017.

“It was such a tough night,†Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh said. “Everyone put their other stuff side and did everything for the team, including Logan and Luis.â€

Detroit wasted a stellar performance by Tarik Skubal, who struck out 13 while pitching six innings of one-run ball. The Tigers went 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position and left 10 on base.

“We had an incredible game today that – unfortunately, somebody had to lose, and that somebody was us, and it hurts,†manager A.J. Hinch said.

Kerry Carpenter put Detroit in front when he hit a two-run homer off Gabe Speier in the sixth inning. Carpenter had four hits and walked twice, becoming the first player to reach five times and hit a home run in a winner-take-all postseason game since Babe Ruth in 1926, according to STATS.

The Mariners tied it at 2 on Leo Rivas†pinch-hit single off Tyler Holton in the seventh. Rivas celebrated his 28th birthday with his first postseason hit.

“He was up to the task tonight,†Wilson said. “It was a huge hit.â€

The Mariners had a runner on second with no outs in the 10th, 12th and 13th inning – and came up empty each time. Arozarena and Eugenio Suárez both grounded into a double play in extra innings.

The Tigers threatened in the 12th, putting runners on second and third with one out. Zach McKinstry was cut down at home when he attempted to score on Javier Báezâ€s grounder to third. After Carpenter was walked intentionally, Gleyber Torres flied out to right.

Dillon Dingler hit a one-out double for Detroit in the 14th, but he was stranded there when Parker Meadows struck out looking against Eduard Bazardo and Castillo retired Báez on a popup to first.

“Guys just kept battling. There were opportunities on both sides after the ninth inning,†Hinch said.

Seattle dropped four of its six games against Toronto this season. The Mariners won two of three in an April series in Toronto, but they were swept by the Blue Jays at home from May 9-11.

AP MLB:

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PHILADELPHIA — Kyle Schwarber picked the perfect time — and way — to end his recent drought: a game-tying 455-foot Schwarbomb in a must-win Game 3 of the National League Division Series.

With the Phillies trailing by one entering the fourth inning on Wednesday night, Schwarber smashed a no-doubter off Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto that cleared the right-field seats at Dodger Stadium. It marked Schwarber’s 22nd career postseason home run, tying him with Yankees legend Bernie Williams for the third most in MLB history. Only Manny Ramirez (29) and Jose Altuve (27) have hit more.

Schwarber’s solo shot came off his bat at 117.4 mph, per Statcast, making it the second-hardest-hit home run of his career, including the regular season. It trails only the 119.7 mph homer he hit off Yu Darvish in Game 1 of the 2022 NLCS.

Of course, majestic postseason homers are certainly nothing new for Schwarber.

His latest blast was his fifth career postseason home run to travel at least 450 feet. That’s not only the most in the Majors since Statcast began tracking in 2015, but only one other player has even hit more than one such homer — and that’s Freddie Freeman … with two.

Schwarber’s homer snapped an 0-for-22 slump dating back to the regular season that included starting the NLDS 0-for-8 with five strikeouts. His first hit of the series was also the Phillies’ first hit of the night after Yamamoto had cruised through three innings — and it helped trigger a three-run inning to give the Phillies a 3-1 lead at the time.

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