The Seattle Mariners are on the brink of their first American League pennant, just one win away after a 6-2 victory against Toronto.<\/p>\n
TORONTO(AP) \u2014 The Seattle Mariners have never been this close to reaching the World Series.<\/p>\n
It still feels distant to pitcher Logan Gilbert.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still a long ways away,\u201d Gilbert said Saturday, the day after a 6-2 comeback victory in Game 5 that put Seattle one win away from its first American League pennant<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019re nine long innings away from where we want to be, and I think everybody gets that.\u201d<\/p>\n Whether it takes nine innings or 15, as it did in the AL Division Series clincher, Gilbert and the Mariners will get their shot at the pennant on Sunday, taking a 3-2 lead into AL Championship Series Game 6. The winner of the best-of-seven series faces the Los Angeles Dodgers starting Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s huge,\u201d Gilbert said. \u201cIt\u2019s been such a long year. Just to get to this point is amazing. But to be the one to have the ball, you grow up dreaming of moments like this, and you don\u2019t know how many you\u2019ll get over the course of your career. Some guys never get this. So it\u2019s a really big deal.\u201d<\/p>\n Gilbert threw 34 pitches in two scoreless innings of relief in that 15-inning win over Detroit on Oct. 10<\/a>, then started Game 2 of the ALCS three days later. Staked to a 3-0 lead before he took the mound, Gilbert allowed three runs \u2014 two earned \u2014 and five hits over three innings as Seattle won 10-3<\/a>.<\/p>\n This time, the 2024 All-Star will face Toronto on five days’ rest.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the playoffs and that\u2019s kind of the fun of it, too,\u201d Gilbert said of his irregular schedule last time around. \u201cBut we\u2019re kind of creatures of habit, too, so it\u2019s nice being back in the normal routine.\u201d<\/p>\n Mariners manager Dan Wilson said Gilbert\u2019s mental makeup plays a big role in his success.<\/p>\n \u201cLogan is a guy you love to give the ball to,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cHe\u2019s that guy that has that focus, that desire to win, and he wants the ball in these situations. He\u2019s ready for tomorrow for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n One loss from elimination, Toronto will counter with rookie Trey Yesavage, who has made two of his five big league starts during this postseason run.<\/p>\n Yesavage set a Blue Jays postseason record<\/a> by striking out 11 over 5 1\/3 hitless innings against the New York Yankees in the Division Series. He allowed five runs and four hits in four innings, taking the loss in ALCS Game 2.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were fairly patient when we had to be,\u201d Wilson said of his team’s approach against Yesavage in Game 2. \u201cI think that was a big key for us. When we were able to get pitches that we were able to hit, we were able to do something with them.\u201d<\/p>\n Like Gilbert, Yesavage said he understands just how rare a chance he\u2019s getting by starting Game 6, noting a discussion he had with rotation mate Kevin Gausman.<\/p>\n \u201cThis opportunity does not come up very often,\u201d Yesavage said. \u201cI was talking to Gausman the other day and I said, \u2018What\u2019s the furthest you\u2019ve made it in the playoffs?\u2019 He said, \u2018This is the furthest I\u2019ve gone.\u2019 And he\u2019s been playing this game for a long time. So I\u2019m very blessed to be in this situation.\u201d<\/p>\n Yesavage’s big league experience is limited but impactful.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s pitched in a lot of big games,\u201d Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. \u201cHe\u2019s pitched in big regular- season games, he\u2019s pitched in big postseason games, and he\u2019s handled himself well. We\u2019ve got all the confidence in the world that he\u2019ll have the right mindset. He\u2019s got to go out and do what he does.\u201d<\/p>\n Schneider said he hopes to have designated hitter George Springer available Sunday<\/a>. Springer was hit on the right kneecap by a 95.6 mph pitch<\/a> from Bryan Woo in the seventh inning Friday and had to leave the game.<\/p>\n \u201cFeeling a lot better than he did yesterday,\u201d Schneider said of his leadoff batter.<\/p>\n The 36-year-old Springer, a four-time All-Star, is hitting .256 with three home runs and five doubles this postseason. His 22 career playoff homers are tied with Bernie Williams for fourth most in baseball history.<\/p>\n Wilson said right-hander Bryan Woo was experiencing minor soreness after pitching two innings Friday, his first appearance in almost a month. Woo had been sidelined because of pectoral inflammation.<\/p>\n \u201cGetting him in the game was big, getting him out there and comfortable,\u201d Wilson said. \u201cHe feels good today. Obviously, a little bit of soreness where you would expect it. But again, this is an exciting time of year, and I would expect him to be ready to go going forward here out of the bullpen.\u201d<\/p>\n