The Seattle Mariners played their first postseason game since 2001 on Friday and defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 4-0 (box score) to secure a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three wildcard series of the American League.
Here are four things to know about the Mariners’ win that puts them one win away from promotion to the League Division Series against the Houston Astros.
Seattle struck early
If you thought the Mariners would be apprehensive at first as they played postseason baseball for the first time in two decades, well, so much for that.
Seattle super rookie Julio Rodríguez, the third youngest rookie in AL history to hit the leadoff in a playoff game, was hit by a pitch to lead the game. He would advance to second base with a groundout before scoring with a double from Eugenio Suárez. Suárez’s double topped the first first inning run he hit against Blue Jays starter Alek Manoah in 16 starts at home this season. according to MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer.
Again, the Mariners weren’t done yet. Cal Raleigh subsequently hit a two-run homer to give Seattle a 3-0 lead before the Blue Jays had a chance to bat. When the top of the first inning ended, the Mariners had a 75 percent win expectancy.
Castillo cruises; Manoah fights
To Manoah’s credit, he served better after that long first inning. In fact, he escaped another jam in the second inning before retiring nine straight batsmen.
Manoah gave up another run in the fifth inning (Rodríguez crossed the plate again, this time by a fielder’s choice), giving Seattle a 4-0 lead, but he ended his afternoon with a line that consisted of 5 2/3 innings . four runs on four hits and one walk and four strikeouts.
It wasn’t the kind of dominant performance the Manoah Blue Jays have grown accustomed to, but it could have been a lot worse given how the early innings played out.
Manoah’s counterpart, Luis Castillo, had a breezy afternoon at the office by comparison. In just his second postseason career start (and his first since 2020), he threw 7 1/3 shutout innings on 108 pitches.
Castillo threw up six hits over the course of those seven innings and stranded two runners in both the third and fifth innings. He did not walk with anyone, although he slapped George Springer in the wrist before departing in the eighth. He hit five balls and forced grounders on 10 of his 17 batted balls.
First playoff win for the Mariners since 2001
As noted in the introduction, the Mariners weathered the majors’ longest active playoff drought on Friday, appearing in their first playoff game since Oct. 22, 2001.
The Mariners’ last playoff win before Friday came on October 20, 2001. The winning pitcher in that game was Jamie Moyer, and the Mariners’ lineup consisted of Brett Boone, David Bell, and Jay Buhner, not to mention Ichiro Suzuki and Edgar Martinez.
Next: Game 2 Saturday
The Mariners can hole their ticket to the League Division Series against the Houston Astros with a win in Game 2 on Saturday. The Blue Jays, meanwhile, can keep their own promotion aspirations alive with a win that would force Game 3 on Sunday.
Robbie Ray, a former Blue Jay and reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, is expected to receive the nod for the Mariners. Toronto must counter with Kevin Gausman.
Game 2 is scheduled to start at 4:07pm ET.