It marked the sixth time that two expansion teams have met in the ALCS, and was the second postseason meeting for the two teams since their matchup in the 2022 American League Wild Card Series; they were both the two teams added to the league in its 1977 expansion. The Mariners were trying to reach the World Series for the first time in franchise history; they are the only major league team who have never played in that series. It was the first time the ALCS has featured two teams that have each played at least thirty years since reaching the World Series or never reaching it before in that timespan.[note 1]
The series began on October 12, and ended with a 4–3 Blue Jays victory in a Game 7 win on October 20, highlighted by a seventh-inning go-ahead three-run home run by George Springer, the first go-ahead homer while trailing by multiple runs in the seventh inning or later in Game 7 history.[1]Fox and FS1 (including their Fox One streaming service) televised the games in the United States.[2][3]Sportsnet (including its Sportsnet+ streaming service) televised the games in Canada in English,[4] while TVA Sports broadcasted the series in French.[5] Select games also aired in Canada on Sportsnet's sibling broadcast network Citytv.[6]
The Toronto Blue Jays qualified for the postseason on September 21 and won the American League East by defeating the Tampa Bay Rays on the last day of the season.[7][8] They tied the New York Yankees in the standings at 94–68, but by virtue of their better 8–5 regular season head-to-head record against New York, they won the division to claim a first-round bye and the top seed in the league. It was the Blue Jays' first AL East title since 2015 and their fourth overall postseason appearance since 2020. In the ALDS, they defeated the Yankees in four games, with their Game 1 win ending a six-game postseason losing streak.[9][10] This was the Blue Jays' eighth ALCS (first since 2016), going 2–5 in their previous seven appearances. Toronto was attempting to end its 32-year pennant drought and return to the World Series for the first time since their 1993 championship season, which was their second consecutive championship.
The Seattle Mariners qualified for the postseason on September 23 with a win over the Colorado Rockies.[11] The next night, they defeated the Rockies again to clinch their first American League West division title since 2001, which ended the second longest division title drought in the majors, and claimed a first-round bye as the second seed in the league.[12] In the ALDS, the Mariners defeated the Detroit Tigers in five games on a Jorge Polanco bases-loaded walk-off single in the 15th inning.[13] This was the Mariners' fourth ALCS appearance, their previous three appearances having been in 1995, 2000, and 2001. The Mariners were looking to win the American League pennant and reach the World Series for the first time in franchise history in their 49th year of existence.
This series marked the second postseason meeting between the Blue Jays and Mariners, following the Mariners' sweep in the 2022 American League Wild Card Series at the Rogers Centre. In Game 2 of that series, the Mariners came back from an 8–1 deficit in the sixth inning and a 9–5 deficit in the eighth inning.[14] The Blue Jays won the 2025 season series, 4–2, which included a road sweep of the Mariners in T-Mobile Park from May 9 to 11.[15] This was the first ALCS to either feature a team that has never won a pennant (Mariners) or a team that has a 30-plus year pennant drought (Blue Jays) since the 1995 ALCS, which also featured the Mariners.[16] Both franchises came into the league together in 1977 as part of expansion. This series also marked the sixth time that two expansion teams have met in the ALCS.[note 2]
In the bottom of the first inning, George Springer hit a leadoff home run off Mariners starter Bryce Miller's first pitch to give the Blue Jays a 1–0 lead. Springer's home run was the only run the Blue Jays scored in this game and one of two Toronto hits. The Blue Jays led until the top of the sixth inning, when Cal Raleigh hit a solo home run off Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman to tie the game at 1–1. Brendon Little then relieved Gausman and allowed a Jorge Polanco hit RBI single that scored Julio Rodríguez for the Mariners to take the lead at 2–1. Gausman pitched 5+2⁄3 innings, allowing three hits, two runs, and one walk while striking out five batters. Miller, pitching on short rest after starting Game 4 of the ALDS, pitched six innings, allowing two hits, one run, and three walks with three strikeouts. In the top of the eighth inning, Polanco hit another RBI single, scoring Randy Arozarena for an insurance run to extend the Mariners' lead to 3–1. Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz got the last out after Alejandro Kirk flew out to left field as the Mariners took a 1–0 lead in the series.
In the top of the first inning, after hitting Randy Arozarena with a pitch and walking Cal Raleigh, Blue Jays starter Trey Yesavage gave up a three-run home run to Julio Rodríguez to give the Mariners a 3−0 lead. In the bottom of the inning, George Springer scored when Nathan Lukes reached on a throwing error by Josh Naylor, cutting the Mariners' lead to 3−1. Later that inning, Lukes scored on an Alejandro Kirk single, reducing the Mariners' lead to 3−2. In the bottom of the second inning, Ernie Clement scored to tie the game 3−3, when Lukes hit an RBI single. Mariners starter Logan Gilbert pitched three innings, giving up three runs on five hits and one walk, while striking out two. Yesavage pitched four innings, giving up five runs on four hits and three walks, while striking out four. In the top of the fifth inning, Jorge Polanco hit a three-run home run off Louis Varland, giving the Mariners a 6−3 lead. In the top of the sixth inning, Mitch Garver hit a lead-off triple and was later pinch-run for by Leo Rivas, who scored on an RBI single by J. P. Crawford, extending the Mariners' lead to 7−3. In the top of the seventh inning, Polanco hit a single, then Naylor hit a two-run home run, pushing the Mariners' lead to 9−3. Still in the seventh inning, Eugenio Suárez scored on Crawford's sacrifice fly to give the Mariners a 10−3 lead. The Mariners took Game 2 and a 2–0 lead in the series.
This was the first time since 2000 that the Mariners won two games in the ALCS.[27]
Game 3
Shane Bieber (pictured with the Cleveland Indians) pitched six innings and struck out eight batters for Toronto in Game 3.
The game began with a familiar sense of déjà vu, mirroring the first two matchups. In the bottom of the first inning, Julio Rodríguez hit a two-run home run off Blue Jays starter Shane Bieber to give the Mariners an early lead. This time, however, the Blue Jays turned the tables. Andrés Giménez hit a two-run home run off Mariners starter George Kirby to tie the game at two in the third. Nathan Lukes scored a go-ahead run on a wild pitch from Kirby, and Daulton Varsho scored Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk on a two-run RBI double, putting the Blue Jays up 5–2. In the top of the fourth inning, George Springer hit a solo home run, making it 6–2. Kirby pitched four innings, allowing eight hits, eight runs, and walking two batters while striking out four batters. The offensive surge continued in the fifth when Guerrero crushed a homer to center field, pushing the lead to 7–2. Ernie Clement then scored Anthony Santander, padding the margin to 8–2. In the sixth, Kirk blew the game wide open with a three-run homer off Mariners reliever Caleb Ferguson, stretching the Blue Jays' advantage to 12–2. Bieber pitched six innings, allowing four hits, two runs, and walking only one batter while striking out eight batters. The Mariners found some late offense in the bottom of the eighth, where back-to-back home runs from Randy Arozarena and Cal Raleigh trimmed the deficit to 12–4. But in the top of the ninth, Addison Barger added one more with a solo shot, making it 13–4. The game ended when Victor Robles grounded out to Guerrero, sealing the Blue Jays' first win of the series.[28]
Game 4
Max Scherzer (pictured with the Buffalo Bisons) pitched 5+2⁄3 innings and struck out five batters for Toronto in Game 4.
In the bottom of the second inning, Josh Naylor hit a solo home run off Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer to get the Mariners in front at 1–0. In the top of the third inning, Andrés Giménez hit a two-run home run off Mariners starter Luis Castillo to flip the lead in the Blue Jays' favor to 2–1. Castillo pitched 2+1⁄3 innings, allowing five hits, two runs, and walking one batter while striking out one. The Blue Jays extended their lead to 3–1 when Mariners reliever Gabe Speier walked Daulton Varsho, scoring Nathan Lukes. In the top of the fourth inning, George Springer scored Isiah Kiner-Falefa on an RBI double, and Springer scored on a wild pitch from reliever Matt Brash as the Blue Jays extended their lead to 5–1. Scherzer pitched 5+2⁄3 innings, allowing three hits, one run, and walking four while striking out five. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Jorge Polanco scored on an RBI single by Eugenio Suárez, cutting the Blue Jays' lead to 5–2. In the top of the seventh inning, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a solo home run to center field, extending the Blue Jays' lead to 6–2. In the top of the eighth inning, Giménez scored Ernie Clement and Myles Straw on a two-run RBI single, further extending the lead to 8–2. The Blue Jays got the final out of the game when reliever Seranthony Domínguez struck out Dominic Canzone and evened the series at two apiece, making it a best-of-three going forward in the ALCS.[29]
Game 5 featured a pitching rematch from Game 1 between starting pitchers Kevin Gausman and Bryce Miller. In the bottom of the second inning, Eugenio Suárez hit a solo home run off Gausman, giving the Mariners a 1−0 lead. In the top of the fourth inning, Miller escaped a bases-loaded jam after Ernie Clement grounded into a double play. Miller pitched four scoreless innings, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out four. In the top of the fifth inning, George Springer hit an RBI double, scoring Addison Barger and tying the game 1–1. In the top of the sixth inning, Clement delivered an RBI single that drove in Alejandro Kirk, putting the Blue Jays ahead 2–1. Gausman pitched 5+2⁄3 innings, allowing three hits and one run while issuing three walks and recording four strikeouts. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Cal Raleigh homered off Blue Jays reliever Brendon Little to tie the game 2–2. Suárez then hit a grand slam to right field to put the Mariners ahead, 6–2. For Suárez, it was the fourth grand slam he had hit this season.[31] Closer Andrés Muñoz got the final out after Joey Loperfido ground out to shortstop J. P. Crawford as the Mariners took Game 5 of the ALCS. This marks the first time in this series that the home team won a game as the road team won the four games earlier in the ALCS.
This win marked the first time in franchise history the Mariners won three games in an ALCS, previously only winning two against the Cleveland Indians in 1995 and the New York Yankees in 2000. This was also the first home win for the Mariners in an ALCS since 2000.[32]
Game 6 featured a pitching rematch from Game 2 between starters Trey Yesavage of the Blue Jays and Logan Gilbert of the Mariners. In the bottom of the second inning, Addison Barger scored Daulton Varsho and Isiah Kiner-Falefa scored Ernie Clement on back-to-back hits to take a 2–0 lead for the Blue Jays. In the top of the third inning, Yesavage escaped a one-out bases-loaded jam with Cal Raleigh grounding into a double play to preserve a 2–0 lead for the Blue Jays. In the bottom of the third inning, Barger hit a two-run home run off Gilbert to extend the lead to 4–0. In the top of the fourth inning, Yesavage escaped another one-out bases-loaded jam with J.P. Crawford grounding into a double play to preserve a 4–0 lead for the Blue Jays. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered to left field to extend the lead to 5–0. Gilbert pitched four innings, allowing seven hits, four runs, and walking one batter while striking out three. In the top of the sixth inning, Josh Naylor hit a solo home run off Yesavage to put the Mariners on the board 5–1. Yesavage pitched 5+2⁄3 innings, allowing six hits, one run, and walking three batters while striking out seven. Eugenio Suárez then scored Randy Arozarena to cut the Blue Jays' lead to 5–2. In the bottom of the seventh inning, a wild pitch from Mariners reliever Matt Brash and a throwing error by catcher Cal Raleigh brought in Guerrero from second base, extending the lead to 6–2. The Blue Jays got the final out of the game when Dominic Canzone popped out to Clement, evening the series at 3–3 apiece and forcing a winner-takes-all Game 7.[33]
Game 7
George Springer hit a go-ahead three-run home run in the seventh inning in Game 7, his ninth career postseason go-ahead home run.
This was the first Game 7 played by the Mariners in history, and it was only the second played by the Blue Jays, who last did so in the 1985 American League Championship Series. This is the first Game 7 of an LCS since 2023, when both series went to a decisive Game 7. Game 7 featured a pitching rematch from Game 3 between starters Shane Bieber of the Blue Jays and George Kirby of the Mariners.
In the top of the first inning, Josh Naylor hit an RBI single, scoring Julio Rodríguez to give Seattle a 1−0 lead. In the bottom of the first, Daulton Varsho scored George Springer on an RBI single to tie the game 1–1. In the top of the third inning, Rodríguez hit a solo home run off Bieber to give Seattle a 2–1 lead. Bieber pitched 3+2⁄3 innings, allowing seven hits, two runs, and walking one batter while striking out five. Kirby pitched four innings, allowing four hits, one run, and walking one batter while striking out three. In the top of the fifth inning, Cal Raleigh homered to right field to increase Seattle's lead to 3–1. In the bottom of the 7th inning, Addison Barger drew a leadoff walk for Toronto. Isiah Kiner-Falefa followed it with a ground ball single before Andrés Giménez bunted into a groundout that got the runners to third and second base. Reliever Bryan Woo was then taken out for Eduard Bazardo to pitch for Seattle against George Springer. On the second pitch, Springer hit a three-run home run to give the Blue Jays a 4–3 lead. It was the first go-ahead homer while trailing by multiple runs in the seventh inning or later in a Game 7 in MLB history.[34]
The Blue Jays got the final out of the game when closer Jeff Hoffman struck out Rodríguez on a foul tip and are headed to the World Series for the first time in 32 years. The Mariners have now failed to reach the World Series for 49 years of their existence.[35]
With the win, the Blue Jays became the first team to win a League Championship Series after losing the first two games at home (the Dodgers won the 2020 NLCS after losing the first two games as the home team, but that was played at a neutral site due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
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