Yesavage dazzles, Barger & Vladdy go deep, and Rogers Centre rocks as Toronto beats Mariners 6–2

TORONTO — The roof was shut, but the noise blew off the building. The Blue Jays stared down elimination and punched back, 6–2, to force a do-or-die Game 7 in the ALCS. Toronto promised they were right where they wanted to be — and oh baby, they proved it.

Trey Yesavage took a shutout bid into the sixth, Addison Barger and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. launched thunderbolts, and an absolutely juiced Rogers Centre turned into a jet engine. Toronto, backed by the AL’s best home mark, kept their World Series dream very much alive.

“This was the most electric, energized crowd I’ve ever played in front of,” Yesavage said. “The team rallied behind the fans. They were a huge motivation for us.”

How Game 6 flipped the script

• Yesavage the escape artist: The rookie righty rolled three straight inning-ending double plays — Raleigh in the 3rd with the bags full, Crawford in the 4th with the bases loaded again, and Rodríguez in the 5th — to Houdini his way through the traffic.

• Early pressure pays off: After a Varsho leadoff double, an Eugenio Suárez error opened the door in the 2nd. Barger and Isiah Kiner-Falefa cashed runs with RBI singles.

• Clement sparks, Barger parks: Ernie Clement tripled to the bullpen fence in the 3rd; Barger hammered a slider to right-centre for the 4–0 cushion.

  “That’s a moment you dream about as a kid,” Barger said.

• Vladdy’s moonshot & mayhem: In the 5th, Guerrero Jr. nuked a curveball into the left-field bullpen — his 6th of the postseason, tying Joe Carter and José Bautista for most by a Blue Jay in a single playoff run.

  “It feels great, but it feels even better because we won,” Vladdy said.

• Mariners push back, Jays shut the door: Josh Naylor (Mississauga, Ont.) broke up the shutout with a 6th-inning homer; Suárez added an RBI knock. But Jeff Hoffman took the final six outs with four Ks, and that was all she wrote.

Final line on Logan Gilbert: 4+ IP, 5 runs (4 ER), 7 hits, two homers.
Yesavage: into the 6th with one run allowed, three huge twin killings, and the poise of a vet.

About that eighth-inning energy

After getting plunked in the 7th, Guerrero revved the building again — advancing on a wild pitch and a throwing error, then stomping home plate and clapping toward the Seattle dugout. Statement made.

Next: Winner-Take-All Monday — Bieber vs. Kirby

We’re headed to a Game 7 — Toronto’s first since the 1985 ALCS; Seattle’s first ever. The winner books a date with the Dodgers in the Fall Classic; the loser goes home.

• Probables: Shane Bieber (TOR) vs George Kirby (SEA) — a Game 3 rematch.

  • Game 3 results: Bieber (6 IP, 2 ER, 8 K) shoved; Kirby got tagged for 8 ER in 4 IP as the Jays won 13–4.

• Fun fact: Home teams in winner-take-all games are 68–67 all-time (30–29 in best-of-seven). So yes — it’s a coin flip with all the pressure you can handle.

“You’ve got to enjoy it, man,” said John Schneider. “This is what we sign up for.”
“If you’re not (ready), I don’t know if you have a pulse,” added Hoffman.

Mariners manager Dan Wilson kept it simple: “We’ll be ready to go in Game 7. Baseball is a game of adjustments. They will be able to do that tomorrow night.”

What to watch in Game 7

• First 9 outs: Can Bieber’s command hold and can Kirby find the zone with life after the Game 3 thump?

• Defense: Seattle’s three errors in Game 6 were uncharacteristic. Do they clean it up?

• Stars vs. stars: Vladdy is scorching; Suárez has been a problem. Who blinks?

Buckle up, Thunder Bay and beyond. Winner takes the American League. See you tonight.