When is Blue Jays vs. Mariners ALCS Game 5? Date, Time and Lineups

SEATTLE – Four games into this American League Championship Series battle between the Blue Jays and Mariners, and nothing separates these two clubs – except another cross-country flight on deck, with nothing short of a pennant on the line.

With the ALCS even at two games apiece, Seattle and Toronto will enter Friday’s Game 5 locked into a best-of-three for a trip to the World Series, with Bryce Miller taking on Kevin Gausman in a matchup of right-handers.

“Weâ€ll come back ready to go,†said Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh. “Bryce obviously threw a great first game, so weâ€ll have to come up with a good game plan tomorrow to keep them at bay and put a few runs on the board.â€

It has been a showdown defined thus far by road dominance: The Blue Jays have outscored the Mariners 21-6 in the two games at T-Mobile Park. Thatâ€s a flip from how the first pair of contests went at Rogers Centre, where Seattle outscored Toronto, 13-4.

“We didn’t get too high, we didn’t get too low,†said the Blue Jays†Isiah Kiner-Falefa. “The coaches did a great job all around of not panicking, kind of keeping the mood light. Normally, you go down 2-0 and you’re doing PFPs.

“We kind of kept our normal routine, and guys were able to kind of just slow the game down. We were able to come up big here in these last two games. Hopefully, we can keep going.â€

Torontoâ€s resounding Game 4 victory restored home-field advantage for the stretch run, but first comes one more clash in the Pacific Northwest before the scene shifts back to Canada, where this seesaw showdown will be decided.

“Obviously we wanted to get a couple wins here in the series at home,†Seattle manager Dan Wilson said. “We haven’t been able to do that. But tomorrow we have a chance to bounce back, and that’s where our focus is going forward.â€

When is the game and how can I watch it?
First pitch is scheduled for 6:08 p.m. ET (3:08 p.m. PT) on Friday 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: Kevin Gausman (10-11, 3.59 ERA) has pitched Game 1 in both the AL Division Series against the Yankees and this ALCS, but the stage just keeps getting bigger. His outings have been eerily similar, both at 5 2/3 innings with 75 pitches in one and 76 in the other, so itâ€s clear where the Blue Jays want to keep Gausmanâ€s workload. Gausman is Torontoâ€s ace for a reason, but given that he relies so heavily on his fastball and splitter combo, it will be interesting to see how the Mariners handle that mix after seeing him in Game 1.

Mariners: Bryce Miller (1-0, 2.61 ERA in these playoffs) will face a Game 1 rematch vs. Gausman, in which he outlasted the splitter specialist by overcoming a leadoff homer to George Springer on his very first pitch to hold the Blue Jays 1-for-19 the rest of the way. Miller wound up clearing six brilliant innings in his first career start on short rest, though heâ€ll be on standard rest in Game 5. However, Miller noted that this will be his first time facing the same team in a five-day span since he was in the Minors, where a standard head-to-head series lasts a full week of six games.

What might the starting lineups look like?
Blue Jays: With Anthony Santander now done after being removed from the ALCS roster with an injury, the Blue Jays could roll out the same lineup they did for Game 4. Kiner-Falefa felt like a surprising addition at the time, but he came up with two big hits and has the full trust of manager John Schneider. Joey Loperfido would then take over as the top lefty bat option on the bench, with Davis Schneider available from the right side and Myles Straw as the pinch-runner.

Mariners: Wilson made his first notable tweak to the starting nine in these playoffs in Game 4, opting for Dominic Canzone in right field (over Victor Robles), Jorge Polanco at designated hitter (where Canzone had been starting vs. righties) and switch-hitter Leo Rivas at second base (where Polanco had been playing). Polanco remained at cleanup, Canzone at No. 7 and Rivas was added at No. 9, with J.P. Crawford moving up a spot to No. 8. It didnâ€t necessarily correlate to much, as the Mariners mustered the same number of hits as walks (five). But Wilson has been prone to consistency, so itâ€s possible he sticks with it against another righty.

How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
Blue Jays: The most interesting wrinkle will be the potential availability of Trey Yesavage out of the bullpen on short rest, but since the Blue Jays evened up the series and are no longer fighting for their lives, it could make more sense to hold Yesavage for Game 6 at home. Behind Gausman, the Blue Jays should once again have everyone available, including back-end arms Louis Varland, Seranthony Domínguez and Jeff Hoffman. If any length is needed, Chris Bassitt and Eric Lauer are available.

Mariners: Wilson said that he intended to be aggressive with the bullpen in Game 4, given that he didnâ€t turn to his three highest-leverage arms (Andrés Muñoz, Matt Brash and Gabe Speier) in Games 2 or 3. And that was a big factor in why he went to Speier in place of Luis Castillo with just one out in the third on Thursday. Seattle was already trailing and unable to recover, which led Wilson to using low-leverage options Carlos Vargas and Emerson Hancock at the end. Muñoz, who hasnâ€t pitched since Game 1, will almost certainly be used in Game 5 now that the stakes are even higher. But the biggest question mark is on Bryan Woo, who spent each of the past two games in the home bullpen and is expected to pitch in relief as soon as Friday (more below).

Any injuries of note?
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 he has known, the stakes are sky high.

Santander was removed from the Blue Jays†ALCS roster prior to Game 4 with a back injury, so he will no longer be eligible for the World Series, and his 2025 season is over.

Mariners: The Mariners made the decision to move Woo (pectoral inflammation) to the bullpen once the series shifted to Seattle, and given that there are only three games left at most and Woo hasnâ€t pitched since exiting a Sept. 19 start in Houston, Seattle probably can spend him only once. So now the question becomes where to do so. If Miller is on the ropes early, like Castillo in Game 4, Woo could be a piggyback option. Itâ€s also likely that the Mariners would want to deploy Woo for a clean inning, since he hasnâ€t done this since his college days at Cal Poly, where he made 25 of his 31 career appearances as a reliever but not since 2019-21.

Who is hot and who is not?
Blue Jays: Guerrero might be the hottest hitter in baseball right now. He launched his fifth home run in eight postseason games Thursday and is officially entering Aaron Judge territory when it comes to how opposing teams need to handle him. Donâ€t sleep on Clement, either. The utilityman is batting .452 and has been crucial to extending this Blue Jays†lineup. Springer seems to be yanking a line drive into left field every time he swings the bat, too, while Giménez has now homered in back-to-back games. One through nine, this lineup looks like it did in the ALDS again, which is a very scary thing for the Mariners.

Mariners: After outscoring the Blue Jays, 13-4, in Toronto, the Mariners†bats have gone cold since the series shifted to T-Mobile Park, going 13-for-63 (.206) with a .688 OPS and six runs scored. Leadoff man Arozarena has experienced the most glaring troubles, as heâ€s now 2-for-15 in this ALCS and hitting .158 overall this postseason. Naylor, meanwhile, will look to stay hot, as heâ€s 6-for-14 in this series with two homers, including a second-inning blast in Game 4 that gave the Mariners an early lead.

Anything else fans might want to know?
Blue Jays:

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