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Game 3 of the AL Championship Series had two early twists. The Seattle Mariners struck first and you thought this series might be over. Then the Toronto Blue Jays responded with a five-run inning and 12 unanswered runs to suddenly throw a little doubt into Mariners fans.
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Championship Series Chatter
Vlad, Jays Hit 5 HRs To Get Back Into ALCS
Final score: Blue Jays 13, Mariners 4
Series: Mariners lead 2-1
Next game: Blue Jays RHP Max Scherzer vs. Mariners RHP Luis Castillo, today, 8:33 p.m. ET at T-Mobile Park (FS1)
Trailing 2-0 in the best-of-seven AL Championship Series, the last thing the Toronto Blue Jays needed to see was Julio Rodríguez stir up the frenzied T-Mobile Park crowd with a first-inning homer. But the Jays quickly dusted themselves after that knockdown. Andrés Giménez, George Springer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alejandro Kirk and Addison Barger hit home runs as the Jays climbed back into the ALCS with a 13-4 rout of the Mariners. The Jays tied a club record with their five postseason homers.
Guerrero, who entered the game 0-for-7, spearheaded the 18-hit offensive attack, going 4-for-4 with three runs scored and his fourth homer of this postseason. He was a triple shy of the cycle when he doubled leading off the seventh, stopping at second when it seemed like he had a shot at the second postseason cycle in history. But it was really Gimenez who got things going. With just seven regular-season homers, including only one on the road, Gimenez took Mariners right-hander George Kirby deep, drilling an 0-1 pitch out to right-center field for a game-tying two-run homer in the third inning. One out later, Nathan Lukes singled, Guerrero doubled and Kirk drew a two-out walk to load the bases. Kirby uncorked a wild pitch to bring home the go-ahead run and Daulton Varsho doubled home a pair of runs to cap the five-run outburst.
Springer hit the 22nd postseason homer of his career in the fourth to make it 6-2 and Guerrero hit the first pitch from Kirby in the fifth out to center, just out of the reach of a leaping Rodriguez, with Ernie Clement adding a two-out RBI single to put the Jays up 8-2. Kirk highlighted a four-run seventh with his three-run homer and Barger finished the scoring with a ninth-inning solo shot.
Right-hander Shane Bieber overcame the two-run homer from Rodriguez in the first inning to go six innings, allowing four hits — only two after the first inning — with one walk and eight strikeouts. Randy Arozarena and Cal Raleigh hit back-to-back homers for the Mariners in the eighth inning. The combined eight homers in the game tied a postseason record, accomplished twice before.
Randy Arozarena and Cal Raleigh go back-to-back!(MLB x @CitizenWatchUS)
Addison Barger joins the @BlueJays home run party! #ALCS
By The Numbers
⚾ Teams winning Game 3 when facing a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series have won the series in 14 of 53 tries (26.4%), while teams in the 2-3-2 format that won Game 3 on the road after losing the first two at home have won three of the 11 series (27.3%).
⚾ Road teams are 5-0 in the League Championship Series.
⚾ George Springer’s 22nd career postseason homer tied Bernie Williams for fourth place in MLB history.
In Another League
Dodgers’ Starters Look To Build On Momentum
Series: Dodgers lead 2-0
Next game: Brewers TBA (opener or LHP Jose Quintana) vs. Dodgers RHP Tyler Glasnow, today, 6:08 p.m. ET at Dodger Stadium (TBS)
There is a certain inevitability that cloaks the Los Angeles Dodgers when they start to get some momentum. Following dominant starts by left-hander Blake Snell and right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the first two games of the NL Championship Series, that aura is all around the defending World Series champs. And now they are home for the next three games. What is fueling this Dodgers run is their starting pitching. This postseason, they have five healthy starters, with Tyler Glasnow, who starts today’s Game 3, and two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani going in Game 4. That relegates three-time NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw in the bullpen in what is his final MLB season.
Last year as they won the title, the Dodgers had to patch together a starting rotation. They had Yamamoto, trade acquistion Jack Flaherty and Walker Buehler, who was coming back from Tommy John surgery, but no real fourth. Last year, the Dodgers got a total of 60 innings from their starters in 16 postseason games, while this year, L.A. has seen its starters go 52⅔ innings in eight games. That length in the postseason has limited the exposure of a shaky Dodgers bullpen, which has put up a 5.91 ERA. The starters’ ERA this postseason is 1.54, second in postseason history with at least eight games.
It ha also helped offset an offense still waiting on key contributors to get going. While shortstop Mookie Betts is slashing .303/.395/.455 out of the No. 2 spot, Ohtani has put up a miserable .147/.275/.324 and No. 3 hitter Freddie Freeman .242/.324/.455. Ohtani’s struggles have been particularly noticeable with only five hits in 34 at-bats this postseason with two homers. He is 1-for-7 in the NLCS. Still, the Dodgers are hitting .262 as a team thanks to hitters lower in the order.
Well, here’s a first. Shohei Ohtani is taking BP on the field at Dodger Stadium.
— Rowan Kavner (@rowankavner.bsky.social) 2025-10-16T00:56:03.239Z
Best Moments From Yesterday
Mariners Lean On Legends
Hall of Famer Randy Johnson threw out the ceremonial first pitch, while Jay Buhner charged up the crowd in the Mariners’ first ALCS home game since 2001.
No Velcro Involved
The legend of the rally show continues to grow with the Mariners getting more national attention. Some get multiple shoes involved.
Manager-In-Training
Brewers manager Pat Murphy usually has two of his sons at his side during postgame press conferences. During Wednesday’s presser between Games 2 and 3, 10-year-old Austin was next to dad and was asked about his confidence in the team coming back.
Pat Murphy’s 10 year old son Austin was asked a question in today’s presser about why the Brewers can erase a 2-0 deficit. “The guys respond back really good,” he said. You’ll want to watch as he nails the full answer:
— Curt Hogg (@cyrthogg.bsky.social) 2025-10-15T23:50:50.582Z
‘They Lost’
Pope Leo XIV didn’t mince words after hearing someone in Vatican City yell, “Go Cubs!” to him. In Spanish and English, the Chicago native and, more importantly, Chicago White Sox fan, replied, “Han perdido! They lost!” Tough when the pope puts you down.
That's our Pope 🗣️
(🎥: Vatican Media)
pic.twitter.com/w3fUWXw8DL— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) October 15, 2025
37 Years Ago …
One of the greatest moments in World Series happened 37 years ago Wednesday. I hope you weren’t one of those folks in the cars exiting the Dodger Stadium parking lot.
37 years ago today, Kirk Gibson did what seemed impossible 😮
Noteworthy News
Platinum Glover Raleigh Not On Gold Glove List
How good is the defense among AL catchers? So much so that Cal Raleigh, the Platinum Glove winner as the best defender in the entire AL last year, was not among the top three vote-getters for this year’s Gold Glove at catcher. Making the top three backstops in the AL are, in alphabetical order, Dillon Dingler of the Detroit Tigers, Alejandro Kirk of the Blue Jays and Carlos Narváez of the Boston Red Sox. That is not to say Raleigh regressed. But one stat may show why. That is blocks above average, where Raleigh had minus-6, 53rd in MLB. Dingler, Kirk and Narvaez all were in the top nine. That is just one stat, but it could be the difference between the top three and the rest of the field.
Voting is done by the 30 managers and up to six coaches from each team. The Chicago Cubs had the most players in the top three with six, while the Jays had five with one player, Ernie Clement, earning nods at two spots — third base and utility. (Note: I am not calling them finalists because that would infer another round of voting. There is only one round of voting, so the names listed are the top three finishers. That is the same for the big postseason awards.)
The American League @RawlingsSports Gold Glove Finalists 🤩Winners will be announced on Sunday, November 2nd on @ESPN
Your National League @RawlingsSports Gold Glove Finalists 😮💨Winners will be announced on Sunday, November 2nd on @ESPN
Orioles May Seek Pujols Interview
OK, so keeping track of who is interviewing with who for open managerial jobs is often a rather nonevent. But the situation with Albert Pujols has suddenly gotten interesting. Already thought to be the No. 1 candidate for the Los Angeles Angels‘ vacancy, Pujols possibly has another suitor in the Baltimore Orioles. Pujols, who has no experience on an MLB staff, managed Leones del Escogido do the LIDOM championship last winter and is scheduled to guide the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic in March. Pujols remains under a personal-services contract with the Angels in which he received $1 million a year.
Extra Bases
⚾ New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe underwent surgery to repair a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder. It is not clear if Volpe will be ready by Opening Day. Volpe was injured May 3.
Articles You Should Read
How playing baseball Etch A Sketch formed NLCS general managers — Adam McCalvy, MLB.com
Mariners’ Naylor is stealing the spotlight — Jay Jaffe, FanGraphs
One difficult 40-man roster decision for every MLB team — Ian Cundall, Baseball America
Have the Cubs already decided not to bring back Tucker? — Brett Taylor, Bleacher Nation
Can the 2025 Phillies avoid becoming the 2019 Sixers? — Michael Baumann, FanGraphs
