Just when it felt like the Mariners were steamrolling their way to the World Series, the Blue Jays showed up, woke up, and blew the doors off T-Mobile Park with a 13-4 statement win that flipped the script on this ALCS.
Toronto’s Bats Explode, Crowd Silenced Early
This was supposed to be Seattle’s moment. Coming home with a 2-0 series lead, the fans were buzzing, the team looked loose, and the narrative was already writing itself. But baseball, as always, has no interest in your storylines unless you earn them. And on Wednesday night, it was Toronto that looked like the team with something to prove.
Right out of the gate, the Mariners put up a couple of runs, and the place was rocking. And then? Toronto basically walked over and yanked the aux cord out. The Blue Jays’ bats erupted, tagging Mariners pitching for 12 runs in a jaw-dropping offensive barrage that left the Seattle crowd frozen. You could practically hear a pin drop by the time the sixth inning rolled around.
Bizarre Baseline Blunder Has Announcers Laughing
And that’s where we got one of the weirder moments of the night.
Two outs, Addison Barger hits a routine grounder to first. Josh Naylor’s got it, he’s steps from the bag, the inning should be over. But instead of just stepping on the base like literally everyone expected, he tries to gun it over to second to get Daulton Varsho — who was just kind of vibing his way back to the bag. It was a bizarre choice. Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford looked so confused, but somehow managed to turn Naylor’s wild throw into a clean out.
Up in the booth, Joe Davis and John Smoltz couldn’t hold it in. They were laughing on air, saying what everyone else was thinking: Naylor 100% forgot how many outs there were.
Now, look — the game was already way out of hand, so this little miscue didn’t exactly cost anyone the game. But in the postseason, every moment is magnified, and it just highlighted how things had totally unraveled for Seattle in this one.
Momentum Shifts as Mariners Face Pressure at Home
They’re still up 2-1 in the series, yes. But now, instead of being one win away from punching a ticket to the Fall Classic, they’re staring down a rejuvenated Toronto team that smells blood and knows it can swing right back.
Game 4 is set for Thursday night in Seattle, and the Mariners are gonna need to come out not just focused — but flawless. Because the Jays are hot, the momentum has shifted, and if Seattle starts getting sloppy or, you know, forgetting how many outs there are, they might just watch this series slip through their fingers.
