Suárez puts Seattle on the brink of its first World Series

Venezuelan Eugenio Suárez breathed life back into the Seattle Mariners' life this Friday with a grand slam that sealed a 6-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays and puts them one step away from their first World Series.

Seattle, the only team that has not reached the finals of Major League Baseball , leads 3-2 in this best-of-seven American League Championship Series.

The Seattle Mariners will have their first chance to qualify in the sixth inning on Sunday in Toronto.

Suárez, who arrived in July from the Diamondbacks, was the Mariners' savior with two home runs and five RBIs on a night when they looked practically defeated.

"Our fans have been waiting a long time for this moment," said the Puerto Ordaz hitter in an on-field interview.

"We're here to fight for a World Series, not just for the American League, and we want to give it to them," Suárez emphasized to the applause of the 46,000 spectators.

With his four-run homer , with the score tied 2-2 in the eighth inning, the Venezuelan put Seattle closer than ever to a World Series they have been chasing for nearly half a century.

"This has to be the biggest home run of my career," acknowledged Suárez, who has more than 300 home runs in his 12 seasons in the Majors.

"I've been waiting for this for a long time," he said. "No one said it would be easy, but you have to keep fighting and never give up."

Suárez, 34, had already been with the Mariners between 2022 and 2023. In the last transfer market, Seattle pulled off one of its biggest coups by recruiting the third baseman and bolstering an artillery that avoided a potentially fatal defeat on Friday.

Toronto on the ropes

The Seattle Mariners were desperate to regain control of the series after blowing the lead from their first two wins in Toronto.

This Friday, they took the lead with Suárez's first home run in the second inning, but the visitors tied it with an RBI from their star player, George Springer, in the fifth.

Mexican Alejandro Kirk , who hit a three-run homer in Game 3, took advantage of an Ernie Clement double to put Toronto ahead in the sixth inning.

Fears of a crushing third straight loss were spreading throughout T-Mobile Park when, in the bottom of the eighth inning, the home stars came to the rescue.

Cal Raleigh, the regular season's leading scorer with 60 home runs, gave the crowd hope with a tying home run.

Seattle didn't let go of its prey and loaded the bases, giving Suárez the opportunity to seal the victory with his spectacular four-run home run.

The Venezuelan's blast, which masterfully waited for the right moment against Dominican pitcher Seranthony Domínguez, makes him the second Mariner to hit a Grand Slam in the playoffs, after Edgar Martínez in 1995.

The Blue Jays, who haven't reached the World Series since their titles in 1992 and 1993, are now on the ropes with uncertainty and a possible injury to Springer, who was knocked out of the game by a pitch to his right knee in the seventh inning.

In the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers are leading the Milwaukee Brewers 3-0 and had a chance to complete the sweep on their home field this Friday.