Vladimir Guerrero Jr. goes yard for Blue Jays (0:31)Vladimir Guerrero Jr. crushes a solo dinger to pad the Blue Jays’ lead vs. the Mariners. (0:31)
The series will be decided Monday night in Toronto, the second Game 7 in Blue Jays history. Toronto lost to Kansas City in the 1985 ALCS.
Seattle, the only big league team without a pennant, will play in a postseason Game 7 for the first time. The winner will face the NL champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series beginning Friday.
The Blue Jays turned three double plays behind Yesavage, two of them to escape bases-loaded jams. That made Toronto the first team to induce consecutive bases-loaded, inning-ending double plays in a postseason game. They’re only the fourth team to turn two in a single postseason game.
Toronto also took advantage of Seattle’s season-high three errors. By comparison, the Blue Jays have made four errors in 10 playoff games.
Yesavage, 22, took a shutout into the sixth. He was charged with two runs and six hits, five of them singles. Five of his strikeouts came on his split-fingered fastball, as did both double-play grounders with the bases loaded.
The rookie threw a season-high 31 splitters. He got 10 whiffs on splitters and five more on sliders.
Three of Yesavage’s six major league starts have come in the playoffs. He has won twice in three starts this postseason after winning one of three outings in the regular season.
“I just believed in myself. I know my stuff plays at this level,” Yesavage said. “I know the defense behind me is going to play at the best of their abilities, and getting three double plays in back-to-back-to-back innings was huge.”
The Mariners used two walks and a single to load the bases against Yesavage in the third but were denied when slugger Cal Raleigh grounded into a 3-6-1 double play. Raleigh’s first-pitch grounder came off his bat at 101 mph.
Seattle came up empty again with another bases-loaded opportunity in the fourth when J.P. Crawford grounded into a 4-6-3 double play.
Toronto took advantage of fielding errors by Julio Rodriguez in center field and Suarez at third base to score twice in the second, when Barger and Isiah Kiner-Falefa had RBI singles.
George Springer started at designated hitter for the Blue Jays and went 0-for-4 with a walk. Springer exited in the seventh inning of Friday’s Game 5 loss in Seattle after he was hit on the right kneecap by a 95.6 mph pitch from Bryan Woo.
Guerrero was hit by a pitch from Seattle reliever Matt Brash in the seventh. Guerrero moved to second on Alejandro Kirk’s single and was advancing on a wild pitch when he scored on Raleigh’s throwing error.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. goes yard for Blue Jays (0:31)Vladimir Guerrero Jr. crushes a solo dinger to pad the Blue Jays’ lead vs. the Mariners. (0:31)
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. crushes a solo dinger to pad the Blue Jays’ lead vs. the Mariners. (0:31)
“He brings the energy. He’s young. He wants to win so bad,” Guerrero said.