4 Takeaways from the Mariners' ALCS Game 1 Win Over the Blue Jays

TORONTO - The Mariners stole a game.

Improbably, Seattle was on the winning end of the opener of the American League Championship Series after a wild 48 hours that included playing in the longest winner-take-all game in MLB postseason history. After all that, the Mariners won Game 1 on the road against the Blue Jays.

Here are my takeaways:

The only way Cal Raleigh can top a historic regular season is by having an equally impressive postseason — and he’s in the middle of achieving that. 

Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman was carving up the Mariners lineup, having retired 15 consecutive batters, and the situation was starting to look bleak for Seattle. The offense was coming off an emotional 15-inning elimination game against the Tigers. Nobody had reached base against Gausman since the first inning. The Mariners were playing from behind, trailing Toronto 1-0, for 5 ⅔ innings on Sunday.

Gausman was one strike away from completing six shutout innings when he threw a hanging slider that Raleigh didn’t miss. The "Big Dumper" pummeled the ball 420 feet to right field and tied the game at 1-1 in the sixth inning. It was his second home run of the postseason, and it was electric. 

The Mariners catcher, coming off a 60-homer season, is hitting .400 with a 1.163 in six playoff games this October.

One of the only pitchers who didn’t take the mound in Game 5 of the ALDS, Bryce Miller started Game 1 of the ALCS for the Mariners on only three days of rest. Right-hander Bryan Woo, at least, was added to the ALCS roster, but he wasn’t ready to start Game 1 (he’s been dealing with pectoral tightness since Sept. 19). So, the team’s next best option was Miller pitching on short rest. 

How did he respond? Miller limited the Blue Jays to