Mariners Look to Go Up 3-0 in the American League Championship Series
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Right now, the Seattle Mariners almost seem to be a team on a mission. The M's have dominated the 2025 American League Championship Series thus far, as they took the first two games from the Blue Jays in Toronto. Now back in the Emerald City and playing in the comfortable confines of T-Mobile Park, they can go up three games to none against the American League East Division champs on Wednesday night.
The Jays went 94-68, tied with division-rival the New York Yankees for the league's best regular season record, but this series has belonged to Seattle so far. Through the first two games, the Mariners have outscored Toronto 13-5, and they outhit the AL East Champions by a tally of 17 to 8.
The Mariners have done all this without having their ace pitcher, Bryan Woo, who has been sitting out since late in the regular season with an inflamed pectoral muscle. He was deactivated for the ALDS against the Detroit Tigers, but has been activated for this seven-game showdown with the Blue Jays. He's slated to make his return start at some point, but with the way the team is playing, there's been no need for manager Dan Wilson to rush the 15-game winner back.
The Mariners will go with George Kirby
The Mariners will send George Kirby (10-8, 4.21 ERA) to the hill in Game 3, and he's been terrific in the postseason thus far. The 27-year-old righthander is 2-0 in the playoffs, with a 2.70 Earned Run Average. He will be opposed by the Blue Jays' Shane Bieber, who went 4-2 with a 3.57 ERA, 37 strikeouts, and a 1.02 WHIP over just 40.1 innings in 2025.
Kirby discussed playing this game at T-Mobile Park, and how much he believes that the home-field advantage will help him out on the mound.
“It's a great pitchers' ballpark, but yeah, the crowd is really awesome,” Kirby said Tuesday, according to Anne Rogers of MLB.com. “Every moment, every big pitch, they're always behind you. As a player, that just gives you a lot of confidence. It eases your mind a little bit that everyone is here cheering for you, supporting you.”
