Game 7 between Mariners and Blue Jays could be an all-time MLB classic

TORONTO – The seventh game never goes out of style. Nor does he stop humiliating even the best players to honor the October stage.

Max Scherzer is about to embark on his 11th^th winner-take-all game in his historic Major League career, and in the moments after his Toronto Blue Jays kept their season alive with a 6-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners In Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, his mental record book was humming, taking him back to his playoff debut when he was 26 and through the two World Series championships he’s won in the last six years.

“God, another one,” Scherzer says, stomping his foot a little and shaking his head, as is his custom. “I’m just walking around, going through all my Game 7s, my Game 5s, elimination games, the last day, all these moments and you remember them all.

“Get another one? Oh my goodness. These are so special, so hard to get, that trying again is what you live for.”

Scherzer kept private what he plans to convey to his teammates, but it will be the experience derived from seven Game 5s of the Division Series, one Wild Card game, one Game 7 of the ALCS and, of course, Game 7 of the Division Series. 2019 World Serieswhen Scherzer scored the decisive goal for the Washington Nationals two days after being scratched from the start due to a debilitating neck illness.

And that’s exactly the kind of sacrifice the Mariners and Blue Jays expect in what should be an exciting night of baseball at Rogers Centre.

Let’s take a look at the latest installment of baseball’s ultimate win-or-go-home drama:

Who is available? All

In the hours between the Blue Jays’ crushing Game 5 loss to Seattle and their resurgence in Game 6, closer Jeff Hoffman was chatting with his wife about what to expect from him the next two nights.

“We were talking about the potential for me to pitch several innings today, or maybe tomorrow, or maybe both. Who knows what it will take?” says Hoffman, who actually pitched two near-perfect innings in Game 6, striking out four of the seven batters he faced.

“She asked me, ‘Are you good at doing that?’ And it’s like there is no other option. You are good at doing it. If that’s what the team needs you to do, go out and do it and worry about tomorrow the next day.”

Taking this into account, both clubs are in good shape. The Blue Jays burned Hoffman for two innings and setup man Louis Varland for four outs, but stayed away from hitting Seranthony Dominguez, who should be available for an extended period in Game 7.

The Mariners used top setup man Matt Brash for one inning and Eduard Bazardo for two. But left-hander Gabe Speier had a much-needed night off and closer Andrés Muñoz didn’t pitch. He’ll almost certainly be called upon to make multiple innings if the Mariners hold a late lead or… whoops. – the game lasts additional innings.

Bottom line: The relievers are now prepared to pitch until their arms give up, and both units are in good shape.

All hands on deck

Nothing makes your heart skip a beat in an elimination game than a starter warming up in the bullpen. And both Blue Jays starter Shane Bieber and his Mariners counterpart George Kirby will have a troika of veterans behind them.

Bryce Miller, Bryan Woo and Luis Castillo will be available behind Kirby, who allowed eight runs in his Game 3 start.

As for the Blue Jays, Scherzer, Kevin Gausman and Chris Bassitt are available to provide length if Bieber crashes early. Or put out a fire as needed.

“If you like postseason baseball, this is what it’s all about,” Gausman says. “You might see Max Scherzer in the fifth inning. You might see me later in the game. That’s pretty much what it is.

“As a player, this is what we want. We have all been working since February 1.^streetEven before that, so now if we win a game, we’ll go to the World Series.”

Management mentalities

Game 6 was a salve for Blue Jays manager John Schneider, whose decision to deploy inconsistent left-hander Brendon Little in Game 5 blew up and put his club in a win-or-go-home position.

Now, the mental advantage may have changed, as the Blue Jays have already noted his mortality.

Hell, Schneider himself sounds like a guy who just got a stay of execution.

“It’s great that we’re where we are. I’m not going to lie,” he said after Game 6. “You’ve got to keep your foot on the gas and get ready for tomorrow.

This is what we’re signing up for. As long as you can play in Game 7 to go to the World Series, it sounds great to say, you know? But that’s why we sacrifice everything. That’s why players sacrifice everything.

“This team, this group of men, they are special. You never know where the journey will take us. It leads to Game 7 in the American League Championship Series and that is incredible.

“Again, man, when spring training starts and you say, hey, you have a game to win to go to the World Series, you take it every time.”

For the record, there are two “damn” and one “great” and “amazing” each.

What about you, Seattle manager Dan Wilson?

“So tomorrow we’ll make our offensive adjustments and be ready for Game 7,” he said after a night in which the club had grounders into double plays in the third, fourth and fifth innings.

“I mean, this is the time to make those adjustments and baseball is a game of adjustments, and they’ll be able to do that tomorrow night and they’ll be ready to go.”

Vibration check? Advantage, Tiles.

heavy story

Both clubs were born in 1977. However, the Mariners have never played a Game 7.

Toronto has a more storied history, with back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993. However, it has been 40 years since they played a Game 7, when they blew a 3-1 lead to the Kansas City Royals in the 1985 American League Championship Series.

The American League Championship Series has been a tough hurdle for both clubs over the past quarter century. Toronto lost in six games to Kansas City in 2015 and five games to Cleveland in 2016, while Seattle succumbed to the New York Yankees in 2000 and 2001.

They had never been one game away from a World Series in their history, until Eugenio Suárez’s grand slam won them Game 5. They are still waiting, and now must deal with what could be a close and unbearable Game 7 for both teams.