TORONTO — Adam Frazier hit a tiebreaking R.B.I. double within the ninth inning, and the Seattle Mariners erased a seven-run deficit while topping the Toronto Blue Jays, 10-9, on Saturday for a sweep of their American League wild-card series.
It was the largest road comeback win in playoff history and baseball’s largest comeback victory to clinch a postseason series. Next up for resilient Seattle is Houston in an A.L. division series.
Making the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2001, Seattle trailed by 8-1 through five innings, but it surely tied it at 9 with 4 runs within the eighth.
With two out and the bases loaded, J.P. Crawford hit a blooper to center against the All-Star closer Jordan Romano. Center fielder George Springer and shortstop Bo Bichette went hard after the ball, but it surely landed because the two collided. All three runners scored on the double, tying it at 9.
It looked as if Bichette’s right arm whacked Springer across the brow. Bichette got up pretty quickly and stayed in the sport after he was checked on by a trainer. A woozy Springer was helped to his feet before he was carted off the sector.
Springer, 33, a four-time All-Star, encouraged the cheering crowd as he was driven off.
Cal Raleigh, who hit an R.B.I. single for Seattle within the eighth, reached on a one-out double against Romano within the ninth. After Mitch Haniger flied out, Frazier drove in Raleigh with a double to right.
George Kirby, Seattle’s eighth pitcher of the sport, handled the ninth for his first profession save. Matt Chapman walked with one out, but Danny Jansen struck out and Raimel Tapia lined out to finish the sport.
The Mariners then poured out of their dugout and celebrated behind the mound. In addition they beat Toronto, 4-0, in Game 1 of the best-of-three series on Friday.
Toronto got off to a quick start in Game 2. Teoscar Hernández hit a two-run homer within the second and a solo drive within the fourth against Robbie Ray, who won the AL Cy Young Award while pitching for the Blue Jays last 12 months.
Hernández joined teammate Danny Jansen and former Toronto slugger José Bautista because the only Blue Jays players with multi-homer games within the postseason.
After Ty France scored on Tim Mayza’s wild pitch within the sixth, Carlos Santana gave Seattle’s comeback a giant boost with a three-run homer.
Jansen made it 9-5 with an R.B.I. single off Penn Murfee within the seventh, but Toronto’s bullpen couldn’t close it out. Anthony Bass gave up hits to all three batters he faced within the eighth, including Raleigh’s R.B.I. single, forcing interim Blue Jays manager John Schneider to call on Romano for a six-out save.
Romano gave up a single to Frazier and struck out Santana and Dylan Moore, but Crawford tied it with a first-pitch double.
Toronto intentionally walked Julio Rodríguez before Romano struck out France to finish the inning.
Ray, who signed a $115 million, five-year contract with Seattle in November, allowed 4 runs and 6 hits in three-plus innings.
Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman was charged with 4 runs and five hits over 5 ⅔ innings in his second profession postseason start. Gausman struck out seven and walked one.
Toronto’s Whit Merrifield stayed in to run the bases after being hit on the side of his batting helmet by an 88 mph slider from Diego Castillo on his first pitch after entering within the fifth. Tapia replaced Merrifield in left field within the sixth.
