The Toronto Blue Jays return home facing elimination, as the Seattle Mariners rallied to an emotional 6-2 victory on Friday to steal back the momentum in their American League Championship Series.
The Jays led for much of Game 5 – oh-so-close to a third straight road win – before Seattle clubbed two late-game home runs that shook T-Mobile Park to steal the game and a 3-2 lead in the series as it swings back to Toronto.
Cal Raleigh slugged the game-tying shot in the eighth, before Eugenio Suárez clubbed the go-ahead grand slam – his second homer of the night.
The loss wasn’t the most concerning thing that happened for the Jays though. George Springer was forced to leave the game after taking a pitch off his kneecap.
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Toronto manager John Schneider said Springer suffered a knee contusion, and that immediate X-rays on the knee were negative.
“George is about as tough as they come,” said Schneider. “I think he’ll have to really, really be hurting to not be in the lineup on Sunday.”
For the third game in a row, the Mariners took the first lead of the game on a solo homer – on this occasion by Suárez, fired deep over the left centre-field wall as Seattle fans thrust their gold tridents into the air.
The Blue Jays put several men on base in the early innings but left all of them stranded.
Toronto’s most agonizing squandered scoring opportunity was when it loaded the bases in the fourth inning – with no outs. Daulton Varsho then struck out, and Ernie Clement flubbed a hit just inches from the plate that allowed Raleigh to simply step on home plate, then toss to first for a double play.
The Jays finally tied the game when Springer doubled to push Addison Barger across the plate.
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman leaves the games during the sixth inning of Friday’s game.Abbie Parr/The Associated Press
Mariners starter Bryce Miller got the early hook in the fifth inning after putting a man on. He allowed four hits, two walks and struck out four.
Kevin Gausman, in his second start of the series for Toronto, pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing four hits, one run, while striking out four and walking three.
The Mariners brought in all-star pitcher Bryan Woo from the bullpen for his first appearance in this post-season, a starter making his highly anticipated return from injury.
The Jays banged Woo around quickly – first a double by Alejandro Kirk, then a Clement single to bring him home for the go-ahead run.
Springer left the game in the seventh inning after Woo drilled him in the right kneecap with a 95.6-mile-per-hour sinker. The Jays’ designated hitter writhed in pain and tried to run it off, before surrendering to the dugout.
The manager voiced his distaste for the booing.
“A guy gets hit in the knee and is in obvious pain and you have 40,000 people cheering,” said Schneider. “Not the right thing to do.”
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The Jays had to make some quick lineup changes after Springer went down – Joey Loperfido in for Springer, Nathan Lukes to right field, Myles Straw to left.
Toronto clung to that one-run lead late into the eighth before Raleigh clocked a game-tying solo shot out of the yard off Brendon Little to elate the Seattle fan base, include the Raleigh lovers wearing fake moustaches.
“In my mind, an easy MVP choice and today was just another perfect example of that,” said Seattle Manager Dan Miller of his slugging catcher.
Then the Suarez slam off Seranthony Domínguez was a death blow. The Mariners dugout bounced in celebration.
“The stadium has waited like 26 innings for that,” said Raleigh. “That was one of the loudest moments I’ve heard here.”
Toronto will play host to Game 6 on Sunday, and also Game 7 if needed on Monday.
“We still have home field advantage,” said Schneider. “It’s a seven-game series, and we did our job coming in here taking two out of three, and we’re going to go home and we’re going to definitely be ready to play.”