After 92-win season, Blue Jays look to take next step starting with wild-card series

TORONTO — Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr., delivered a pre-season pronouncement that last year's squad provided the trailer and this year's team would deliver the movie.

Well grab your popcorn, baseball fans. We're about to see whether this film ends quickly with a whimper or will eventually generate a standing ovation.

"The expectation for us is to continue to win," Toronto manager John Schneider said Thursday. "This is a goal that we had set out at spring training. Myself, the staff and every player in the clubhouse has all the confidence in the world in us being the last team standing."

The Blue Jays made strides over a 92-win regular season that gave them the fourth seed in the American League and home-field advantage in a best-of-three first-round series against Seattle.

Securing the top wild-card position last Monday allowed Toronto to rest some players this week and line up ace Alek Manoah (16-7, 2.24 ERA) to start Game 1 on Friday afternoon at Rogers Centre.

"Let your emotions go crazy and let your adrenalin run," Manoah said of his approach to his first career playoff start. "Tunnel it like you've tunnelled it all year. Just go out there and have some fun with the boys."

The Mariners, who won 90 games, will go with Luis Castillo (8-6, 2.99) as their Game 1 starter. He was acquired in a trade-deadline deal with Cincinnati and later signed a long-term extension with Seattle.

"Luis has got the ability to shut down any lineup on any given night with his stuff," said Mariners manager Scott Servais. "And it's not just his stuff. A lot of guys can throw hard and have great movement.

"It's the competitiveness behind that. He wants to be the guy. He revels in that and he enjoys that."

Rookie star Julio