Sunday night featured two very different postseason battles as the ALCS and NLCS continued across the league. In Toronto, Seattle erupted for a statement win to take control of the series, while in Los Angeles, pitching dominated a tense National League Championship Series opener.
In Game 2 of the ALCS, the Seattle Mariners overpowered the Toronto Blue Jays 10-3 at Rogers Centre to take a commanding 2-0 series lead. Seattle came out swinging early, building a lead they never surrendered. Julio Rodríguez set the tone with a two-run double in the first inning before Ty France and Cal Raleigh continued the damage with back-to-back RBI knocks in the third. Raleigh later added his third homer of the series, a towering shot to right that broke the game open in the fifth.
Toronto struggled to gain traction at the plate, mustering only scattered offense. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drove in a run with a double in the fourth, and Bo Bichette added an RBI single late, but it was not nearly enough against Seattle’s relentless lineup. Mariners starter Logan Gilbert delivered a strong postseason outing, going six innings with seven strikeouts and two runs allowed. Toronto’s starter José Berríos was tagged early and lasted only three innings before the bullpen was forced to absorb the damage. Seattle put up runs in five different innings, finishing with 13 hits as they head back home one win away from the franchise’s first World Series appearance.
Over on the West Coast, Game 1 of the NLCS at Dodger Stadium was a pitchers’ duel from start to finish as the Los Angeles Dodgers edged past the Milwaukee Brewers 1-0. Tyler Glasnow was electric for L.A., tossing seven shutout innings with nine strikeouts and just three hits allowed. He went pitch-for-pitch with Milwaukee ace Freddy Peralta, who held the Dodgers scoreless through five and punched out eight before exiting.
The game’s only run came in the bottom of the sixth when Mookie Betts led off with a single, advanced on a Freddie Freeman grounder, and later scored on a clutch two-out RBI single from Will Smith. That slim lead held steady thanks to lockdown relief from Brusdar Graterol and Evan Phillips, who closed the door in the ninth for the save. Milwaukee had a late chance in the eighth after Christian Yelich drew a walk, but Glasnow induced an unusual 8-6-2 double play to preserve the shutout and secure the win.
Seattle and Toronto meet again in Game 3 on Tuesday as the Blue Jays fight to keep their season alive. The Dodgers and Brewers resume their series Monday night, with Milwaukee now looking to even things before the series shifts to American Family Field.
Postseason intensity is rising, and both series are shaping up to be battles of momentum, strategy, and resilience.