World Series returns to Canada as Blue Jays pull off Game 7 comeback vs Mariners to face Dodgers

The World Series is returning to Canada for the first time since 1993 thanks to the Toronto Blue Jays' dramatic Game 7 win over the Seattle Mariners in the American League Championship Series on Monday along the shores of Lake Ontario.

It was a three-run home run from Toronto's George Springer in the seventh inning that proved to be the deciding moment in the Jays' 4-3 win. Center fielder Dalton Varsho also added two singles and an RBI for Toronto.

The Jays’ comeback was made possible by a disappointing start from Toronto veteran Shane Bieber, who failed to get out of the fourth inning.

But starting pitchers Kevin Gausman and Chris Bassitt stepped up in relief, each throwing key scoreless innings, before closer Jeff Hoffman shut the door on Seattle with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

Naturally, it was Game 6 hero and native Canadian Vladimir Guerrero Jr. who won MVP honors. The 26-year-old son and namesake of the Montreal Expos legend hit .385 with three homers, including the go-ahead knock in Game 6, to push the Blue Jays back to their first World Series since the waning days of the Kim Campbell administration.

The Blue Jays will host Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 on Friday night when the World Series comes to Canada for the third time. The defending champion Dodgers swept Milwaukee in the NLCS thanks, in part, to three home runs and six scoreless innings from Ohtani in Game 4.

Even Yankees fans had a reason to celebrate on Monday as their divisional rivals captured their third AL pennant. That’s because former New York first baseman Don Mattingly is serving as Toronto’s bench coach under manager John Schneider. And with Monday’s win, the 64-year-old Mattingly fill finally reach the Fall Classic for the first time in his decorated career.

Mattingly played for the Yankees from 1982 until 1995 as the Yankees failed to win a single pennant. He retired before the 1996 season, when the Bronx Bombers returned to the World Series to beat the Atlanta Braves in six games.

'He deserves a ring and I hope he gets it!' one fan wrote online.

Another Yankees fan wished 'it happened under different circumstances.

The Blue Jays were playing in a Game 7 for the first time since losing at home to Kansas City in the 1985 ALCS.

Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez each hit a solo home run for the Mariners in the team’s first Game 7 but Seattle failed to reach its first World Series, leaving the heartbroken Mariners as the only major league team without a pennant.

Addison Barger walked to begin the seventh and Isiah Kiner-Falefa followed with a single. Seattle right-hander Bryan Woo was removed after Andrés Giménez advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt, and Springer greeted Eduard Bazardo with his fourth homer of this postseason, a 381-foot drive to left field that got the sellout crowd of 44,770 roaring.

Toronto went 54-27 at home in the regular season and 4-2 at home in the AL playoffs.

Making his first bullpen appearance since Game 5 of the 2021 Division Series, Gausman pitched one inning of scoreless relief, working around three walks, to earn the win for Toronto.

Fellow starter Bassitt pitched a perfect eighth and Jeff Hoffman finished for his second save this postseason.

Rodríguez opened the game with a double and scored on a one-out single by Josh Naylor. Varsho tied it with an RBI single off George Kirby in the bottom half before Rodríguez restored the lead for Seattle with a leadoff homer in the third.

Raleigh, who led the majors with 60 homers in the regular season, made it 3-1 with a leadoff homer against Louis Varland in the fifth.

Raleigh has 10 home runs in 15 career games at Rogers Centre, three of them in the postseason. He also homered at Toronto in Game 1 of a 2022 Wild Card Series and Game 1 of this year’s ALCS.

Naylor was called out to end the first after umpires ruled he interfered with Ernie Clement’s relay to first base on a double play by jumping into the throw and deflecting it.

Kirby allowed one run and four hits in four innings. He walked one and struck out three.

Blue Jays starter Shane Bieber permitted two runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out five.

Toronto slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. arrived at the stadium wearing a Maple Leafs hockey jersey with Auston Matthews' name and number. The star forward is 0-6 in Game 7s with Toronto during his 10 seasons in the NHL.

The Dodgers practiced Monday while Game 7 of the AL Championship Series played on the empty stadium's video boards.

They swept Milwaukee to clinch the NLCS last Friday — their ninth win in 10 playoff games so far — leaving six days to rest, work out and think before the World Series begins Friday.

'Some guys are hitting every day, some guys are re-setting, taking it slow,' Mookie Betts said. 'We've been together so much throughout the year, so that plays a little part in guys kind of want to enjoy a little family time before we get back rolling again. It's kind of a balance.'

Shohei Ohtani walked into the clubhouse in flip flops, three days after earning NLCS MVP with an epic performance in Game 4 that included hitting three home runs and striking out 10.

'I don't want to rain on the parade or anything, but it's over and done with,' Betts said. 'It has nothing to do with our goal now.'

The Dodgers had bye weeks in the postseason the previous three years, two of which ended in Division Series losses to San Diego and Arizona. Last year, they changed their practice approach in an effort to stay sharp.

This season, they didn't earn a bye and won their Wild Card Series against Cincinnati.

'Last year, when we had the bye and the year before we were trying to get through one more month of baseball,' Rojas said. 'For me, it's really different because all we're trying to do right here is getting four more wins to win a World Series.'