SEATTLE — The Mariners are heading home on the cusp of history, while the Blue Jays know they must take care of business on the road in order to force this American League Championship Series back to Canada.
With consecutive road wins to open the ALCS, Seattle has grabbed control of this October showdown as it returns to one of baseballâ€s most electric atmospheres at T-Mobile Park, where crowds roared through every pitch of the ALDS against the Tigers.
“I expect a lot of noise from the fans,†said Mariners infielder Jorge Polanco. “I know theyâ€re going to show up. I know theyâ€re going to bring a lot of energy for us. I know theyâ€re going to support us. Weâ€re just going to go there and keep competing, keep competing.â€
Just two wins away from the first World Series appearance in franchise history, the Mariners expect to be welcomed back by a city now swelling with belief. Do they have what it takes to finish the job?
“We know we have work to do,†said Seattle manager Dan Wilson. “These series take on a life of [their] own. We’ve got plenty of work to do and weâ€ve got to stay focused on where we’re headed. We know our fans will help us get there.â€
Their home-field advantage erased, the Blue Jays can take solace in the fact that they wonâ€t be making the trip alone. There promises to be support from the north in the form of the “Canadian Invasion,†fan groups who travel in the thousands whenever the Blue Jays visit.
But they canâ€t count on that contingent alone to flip the script — they need the power hitting and pitching depth that defined their season to reappear before itâ€s too late.
“The difference in these first two is that slug hasnâ€t been there for us; slug has been there for them,†said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “You never know when itâ€s going to turn. … Hopefully, the luck turns and hopefully the slug turns up.â€
When is the game and how can I watch it?
First pitch is scheduled for 8:08 p.m. ET (5:08 p.m. PT) on Wednesday at T-Mobile Park and can be seen in the United States on FS1.
Blue Jays fans in Canada can tune in via Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ for the broadcast with Buck Martinez, Dan Shulman and Hazel Mae, or listen to the radio call with Ben Shulman and Chris Leroux on Sportsnet 590 The FAN.
All series are available in the US on MLB.TV with authentication to a participating Pay TV provider. Games also are available live internationally, although not in Canada. Sportsnet is MLB’s exclusive English language broadcaster in Canada for every Postseason game, while TVA Sports will be covering the entire AL Postseason and the World Series in French and Broadcaster RDS will cover the entire NL Postseason in French.
Who are the starting pitchers?
Blue Jays: Shane Bieber (4-2, 3.57 ERA) didnâ€t look sharp in the ALDS against the Yankees, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits over 2 2/3 innings in the Blue Jays†lone loss of that series. These are the starts the Blue Jays brought the former Cy Young Award winner to Toronto to make, though, and heâ€s got another shot in Game 3. Just like his start against the Yankees, this is the Blue Jays†first road game of the series in whatâ€s certain to be a loud, intimidating environment.
Down the stretch, after Bieber returned from the home stretch of his Tommy John rehab, he looked excellent. Heâ€s even flashed velocities slightly above his averages before the surgery and his pinpoint control came back quickly, but the Mariners are already showing their combination of patience and power. In what could be Bieberâ€s final start before free agency unless the Blue Jays extend this series, the stakes couldnâ€t be higher for him.
Mariners: RHP George Kirby (0-0, 2.70 ERA in these playoffs) will get the call on regular rest after twirling five-plus brilliant innings in his most recent outing in ALDS Game 5 on Friday — the 15-inning marathon win vs. the Tigers. Kirby was relieved after just 66 pitches in a matchup-dictated decision once lefty slugger Kerry Carpenter came up for the third time, but he went toe-to-toe with Tarik Skubal until that point. Kirby also started ALDS Game 1, with his lone blemish being a two-run homer to Carpenter that proved decisive in a 3-2 loss.
Kirby is no stranger to the Blue Jays, either, though the last time he faced them in October was under drastically different circumstances — when he closed out the 2022 AL Wild Card Series with his first and only career save. He was a rookie back then, before he blossomed into a 2023 All-Star, but was already on his way to being one of the sportâ€s elite strike-throwers.
Kirby was sidelined for two months with shoulder inflammation before making his 2025 debut on May 22. Heâ€s experienced some expected hiccups along the way, but appears to be peaking at the right time.
What are the starting lineups?
Blue Jays: Going up against another right-hander, the Blue Jays should roll out a similar lineup to what weâ€ve seen through the postseason. Anthony Santander was a late scratch in Game 2 with lower back tightness, but letâ€s work with the likelihood he will be back in the lineup for Game 3:
Mariners: Wilson regularly deployed a more consistent daily lineup throughout the regular season, and that was particularly true once the entire roster came together after the Trade Deadline. And that has remained in the playoffs, with the only factors changing based on the opposing pitcherâ€s handedness. For Game 3, he rolled out a lineup identical to what he used in the ALDS against Detroitâ€s right-handed starters.
How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
Blue Jays: Louis Varland has appeared in all six postseason games, so if anyone in this bullpen is feeling the weight of the postseason, itâ€s him. The Blue Jays should still have all of their back-end arms available, though. Starter Chris Bassitt threw 1 2/3 innings in Game 2 to help lessen the burden on those arms, such as Jeff Hoffman, Seranthony DomÃnguez and Yariel Rodriguez. After finishing the season strong, though, and nailing a Game 4 bullpen game against the Yankees, the Blue Jays†bullpen is faltering at the wrong time against the Mariners.
Mariners: Thanks to a runaway win in ALCS Game 2, Wilson didnâ€t have to use his three highest-leverage arms (Andrés Muñoz, Matt Brash and Gabe Speier), and that was even after Logan Gilbert lasted only three innings. It sets them up nicely, especially with Tuesdayâ€s off-day to build in more rest. That said, their No. 4 on the leverage depth chart, Eduard Bazardo, threw 30 high-stress pitches over two innings on Monday, and overall, has thrown eight in six appearances. Getting some length from Kirby then bridging to the other three guys would be the ideal scenario.
Blue Jays: Bo Bichette was left off the Blue Jays†ALCS roster as he continues to rehab from his left knee sprain and his status will remain a daily story in Toronto as he pushes to return in time for a potential World Series. Given that this is also the final year of Bichetteâ€s deal in Toronto, the only organization heâ€s known, the stakes are sky high.
Nathan Lukes left Game 1 after fouling a ball off his right knee, but was right back in the lineup for Game 2 after tests came back negative. Anthony Santander is the latest Blue Jays hitter to be banged up, though, and was a late scratch Monday, just hours before Game 2 with lower back tightness. We should know more about his Game 3 status when John Schneider meets with the media Tuesday in Seattle.
Ty France is the only other relevant injury on the Blue Jays. France ended the season on the IL with an oblique injury, but heâ€s recovered by now and it was a baseball decision to leave him off the ALCS roster.
Mariners: Bryan Woo (pectoral inflammation) came out of a live batting practice on Monday reporting “all positives,†which tentatively has him in line for ALCS Game 5 on Friday, sources with knowledge of the situation told MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer. Yet those plans are written in pencil and will hinge on how he bounces back in the coming days and, even in a best-case scenario, would feature an abbreviated workload. If this were the regular season, Woo would be gearing up for a Minor League rehab assignment to build volume, but thatâ€s obviously not an option. Yet, the Mariners still want to ensure that the 2025 All-Star is in position to give them the best chance to win when he does indeed return, having not pitched since exiting a Sept. 19 start in Houston with the issue.
Who is hot and who is not?
Blue Jays: George Springer homered in Game 1 and ripped a double to the wall in Game 2, but beyond the veteran and Lukes — who went 3-for-4 Monday — the Blue Jays†lineup is cold. Theyâ€re still waiting on Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to recapture the magic of his ALDS, when he hit three home runs and drove in nine against the Yankees. The Blue Jays could really use some contributions from Addison Barger, whose bat has been quiet, or Alejandro Kirk, who has put together some better at-bats lately.
Mariners: Jorge Polancoâ€s teammates joked that theyâ€ve begun calling him “George Bonds†as a moniker to his first name in English with a nod to the all-time home run king, Barry Bonds. But thatâ€s the kind of run that the slugging second baseman has been on in October, having been responsible for Seattleâ€s go-ahead RBI in each of their past three games … Cal Raleigh was hitless in two at-bats on Monday but still drew two walks and scored two runs, underscoring the threat he brings at the plate … As for whoâ€s not, Victor Robles is just 3-for-22 (.136) this postseason, while leadoff man Randy Arozarena is 5-for-31 (.161).
Anything else fans might want to know?
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