TORONTO — Julio Rodriguez and Jorge Polanco hit three-run homers and the Seattle Mariners took a 2-0 lead in the American League Championship Series Monday with a 10-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.
Josh Naylor added a two-run blast among his three hits for the Mariners, who will host the next three games of the best-of-seven series starting Wednesday.
Seattle scored three in the first against Trey Yesavage (1-1). Randy Arozarena was hit by a pitch, Cal Raleigh walked and Rodriguez slugged a 1-2 splitter to left for his second homer of the postseason.
Toronto answered with two in the bottom of the inning against Logan Gilbert. George Springer doubled to left and scored when first baseman Naylor threw wildly to Gilbert, who was covering first on Nathan Lukes’ grounder. Alejandro Kirk lined an RBI two-out single to center.
Ernie Clement scooped a single to center to open the home second and advanced to third on two groundouts. Springer walked and Lukes lined an RBI single to right to tie the game at 3.
Center fielder Daulton Varsho kept the score tied in the third with his diving backhand catch of Eugenio Suarez’s two-out liner with two out and runners at the corners.
Eduard Bazardo (1-0) replaced Gilbert, who allowed three runs (two earned), five hits and one walk with two strikeouts in three innings.
Yesavage was replaced by Louis Varland with none out in the fifth after Arozarena reached second on an infield hit and throwing error and Raleigh was intentionally walked. Polanco drilled a 1-1 fastball to center for his third homer of the postseason.
Yesavage was charged with five runs on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts in four-plus innings.
Pinch hitter Mitch Garver led off the sixth with a triple off the center-field wall against Mason Fluharty. Pinch runner Leo Rivas scored on J.P. Crawford’s bloop single to left.
Polanco singled and Naylor, a native of nearby Mississauga, Ont., hit his first homer of the postseason against Braydon Fisher in the seventh. Yariel Rodriguez took over, walked the bases loaded and was replaced by Chris Bassitt. Crawford lined a sacrifice fly to center.
Toronto’s Anthony Santander (back tightness) was a late scratch.
–Larry Millson, Field Level Media
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