Everything you need to know about the Blue Jays-Mariners series
CBC
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The switch from regular-season baseball to post-season is quick enough to give you whiplash. The 162-game slog is done, and suddenly, most remaining teams are one loss away from being one loss away from elimination.
That's where the Toronto Blue Jays find themselves as they get set to host the Seattle Mariners for a three-game wild-card series beginning Friday. All three games will take place at Rogers Centre (Friday and Saturday at 4 p.m. ET, and Sunday if necessary at 2 p.m. ET).
The winner advances to meet the 106-win Houston Astros, who have played in three of the last five World Series.
Bird's-eye view
Fuelled by young stars Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a 91-win season in 2021 that left them one game short of the playoffs, the Blue Jays appeared primed to emerge as one of the best teams in baseball. But after the Jays sleep-walked through half of the season, hovering around a .500 winning percentage, the team fired manager Charlie Montoyo and replaced him with bench coach John Schneider, who guided the team to a 45-27 record and the top wild-card spot. Read more about Schneider's impact here.
The Mariners missed out on the playoffs by two games last year, which was especially devastating for a team that hadn't been there since 2001 and was carrying the longest post-season drought in major North American pro sports (that distinction now belongs to the NBA's Sacramento Kings, at 16 years). Highlighted by a 14-game winning streak in July, the Mariners matched last season's total of 90 victories — but this time, it was enough to advance.
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At the plate
The Blue Jays' offence is the single biggest on-paper advantage of the series. Even in a year where none of Toronto's position players truly broke out, the Jays led the AL in what are generally regarded as the three most important rate stats: batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Its 200 home runs were third in the AL, while only the AL East champion Yankees scored more runs.
Toronto's strength is its depth, boasting five players who smacked at least 24 home runs and 10 who cashed at least 50 RBIs. There isn't a ton of post-season experience on the roster, but centre fielder George Springer won World Series MVP with the Astros in 2017 and is tied for fifth in career playoff home runs.
Seattle, meanwhile, is more boom-or-bust. The Mariners placed fifth in the AL in home runs, but their .230 batting average was second-last in the league. Star rookie Julio Rodriguez, who hit 28 homers and swiped 25 bases, has the ability to turn the series on his own.
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On the hill
