MLBHot offence and strong pitching by the Blue Jays propelled Toronto to a 6-2 win over the Seattle Mariners in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on Sunday. With this victory, the Blue Jays live to fight another day and the winner-take-all Game 7 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) is set for Monday in Toronto. Veteran starter Shane Bieber will pitch for Toronto in winner-take-all Game 7 of the ALCS MondayCBC News · Posted: Oct 19, 2025 3:07 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoVladimir Guerrero Jr. acknowledges the crowd after the Blue Jays won Game 6 of the American League Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners Sunday at Rogers Centre. The victory means the Jays will play the Mariners for a winner-take-all Game 7 Monday. (Mark Blinch/Getty Images)Hot offence and strong pitching by the Blue Jays and sloppy defence by the Seattle Mariners propelled Toronto to a 6-2 win in Game 6 of American League Championship Series on Sunday, forcing a winner-take-all Game 7.Fielding errors in the second inning by the visiting Mariners saw Toronto put runners on base for Addison Barger, who capitalized with a one-run single to open the scoring.The Jays would push that lead to 5-0 thanks in part to homers by Barger and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.WATCH | Toronto’s Game 6 ALCS victory forces winner-take-all Game 7:Blue Jays 1 win away from World Series after beating Mariners The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Seattle Mariners 6-2 to force a Game 7, putting the team one win away from the World Series — a place the Jays haven’t been since the 1990s.Barger connected again in the bottom of the third for a two-run homer to make it 4-0. He scored Ernie Clement who’d just hit a triple that was very nearly out of the park as well. Then, Guerrero’s solo shot — a no-doubter to left field — came in the bottom of the fifth, making it 5-0.Addison Barger connects for a two-run home run off Seattle Mariners pitcher Logan Gilbert during the third inning in Game 6 of the ALCS in Toronto Sunday. (David J. Phillip/The Associated Press)Toronto was able to keep the Mariners scoreless through five innings thanks in part to rookie starting pitcher Trey Yesavage. The 22-year-old recorded seven strikeouts in just over six innings.He also had some help from the Jays’ stellar defence — they managed to pull off three consecutive inning-ending double plays, twice getting him out of bases-loaded jams. Yesavage was replaced by reliever Louis Varland, who struck out two Mariners’ hitters of his own.Trey Yesavage pitches against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning of Game 6 Sunday. He would go on to record seven strikeouts. (Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)But not before Seattle was able to cut into the lead with a two-run sixth — courtesy of a Josh Naylor solo homer given up by Yesavage, and an RBI single from Eugenio Suárez that scored Randy Arozarena. Toronto responded in the very next inning thanks to more Mariners miscues.Guerrero took an unorthodox trip around the bases in the seventh inning after he was hit by a pitch. He advanced to second on a single, slid into third head first after a wild pitch by Seattle’s Matt Brash, then scrambled home to score on a throwing error by Mariners’ catcher Cal Raleigh, making it 6-2.Guerrero Jr. slides into third base on a wild pitch before running home to score on a throwing error by Seattle Mariners’ catcher Cal Raleigh to make it 6-2 in the seventh inning. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)The Blue Jays were able to shut the door on the Mariners the rest of the way. Closer Jeff Hoffman came in from the bullpen to strike out four Seattle hitters swinging on the way to tying up the back-and-forth ALCS at 3-3.’Tomorrow’s about winning’After the game, the Jays were clearly already focused on the task ahead: Game 7 will take place Monday at 8:08 p.m. ET at Toronto’s Rogers Centre. The Jays found themselves in a 2-0 series deficit after losing the first two games of the ALCS at home, before winning the next two in Seattle, then losing Game 5 off a dramatic Mariners grand slam.In a postgame news conference on Sunday, Barger noted that the team was able to quickly put that Game 5 loss behind them to look ahead to Game 6, and he said they’ll do the same for Game 7.“We came off a big win, but that doesn’t matter tomorrow,” Barger said.“Tomorrow’s about winning.”After the game, Jays manager John Schneider described his emotional state as “a freaking mess” during his team’s playoff run, but said he can’t wait for Monday’s game.“This is fun … I wish we were playing right now,” Schneider said.“You never know who’s going to come out on the right side or wrong side of it,” he added. “Today we did, we gotta do it again tomorrow.”Fans hug after the Jays turn a double play to end the Mariners’ at bat in the third inning. It was one of three inning-ending double plays from the Jays Sunday night. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)But the Mariners will also be looking to put away the Jays, and manager Dan Wilson seemed confident in his team’s ability to do it in Game 7. “This is a team that has done the little things all season,” Wilson said of his squad during a postgame news conference. “It’s also a team that has bounced back a lot, and this is a chance for us to do that again, and we’ll do it tomorrow night in Game 7.” Toronto’s Bieber to start Game 7 Toronto is expected to start veteran Shane Bieber on Monday. Bieber allowed two runs and four hits over six innings in Game 3, a 13-4 win for the Blue Jays in Seattle. He struck out eight and walked one, bouncing back from a poor outing against the Yankees in the Division Series.Seattle pitcher George Kirby, who started Game 3, where he allowed eight runs and eight hits, including three homers over four innings, will start for the Mariners.WATCH | Do Montrealers support the Jays? It’s complicated:Can Montrealers wholeheartedly support the Blue Jays? It’s complicatedMost baseball fans in the former home of the Montreal Expos can still remember cheering for their own MLB team, and while some have moved on to support the club some now call Canada’s team, others will never. Whoever wins Game 7 will go on to the World Series to face the Los Angeles Dodgers, who swept the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday to capture the National League pennant. Toronto has not made it to the World Series since 1993 — when the Jays last won it all. Seattle has never advanced to the Fall Classic.With files from The Canadian Press
Blue Jays spring back to life with 6-2 Game 6 win against Seattle Mariners
