Mariners Reveal Pitching Strategy For ALCS Rubber Match Vs. Blue Jays

The Seattle Mariners have one mission on Monday night: survival.

A hard-fought battle against the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series will go the distance, thanks to a 6-2 Toronto win on Sunday night. There's no rest for the wicked, as Monday's Game 7 will decide the pennant and who gets to face the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.

There's really not that much to say before a game of this magnitude. And the Mariners made that clear on Sunday night when they outlined their pitching plan to face this excellent Blue Jays lineup one final time.

Mariners will go with George Kirby and...

Sep 8, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo (22) reacts following a strikeout to end the top of the sixth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Seattle announced George Kirby, who started Game 3 of the series on Wednesday, as its starter once more in Game 7. But more importantly, outside of Game 6 starter Logan Gilbert, everyone will be available, including Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller, who played prominent roles in Game 5.

The only constant, frankly, could be catcher Cal Raleigh, who will be tasked with catching at least the nine innings it would take to win in regulation, if not more.

“It's an all-hands-on-deck kind of situation,” Raleigh said, per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com. “So everybody will be excited and ready to go for that challenge. It's just about going out there, controlling your emotions and trying to control those at-bats and those pitches, one by one.”

One X-factor will be how deep the Mariners are willing to let Kirby go. The Blue Jays tagged him for eight earned runs in just four innings in Game 3, and he was also much better at home this season than he was on the road.

However long he's out there, Kirby is just looking forward to the challenge.

“I love pitching under pressure and am super glad I'm able to get Game 7," Kirby said, per Kramer.

Games don't get any bigger than this one, and for Seattle, every out is going to need to be treated with the utmost care. If the Mariners can prevent mistake pitches and errors, they just might punch their first-ever ticket to a World Series.

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