The Seattle Mariners may have been celebrating late into the night after their 3-2, 15-inning triumph over the Detroit Tigers in the American League Division Series, but it was all business less than 24 hours later as they prepared to play the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL Championship Series.
The Mariners have never won the American League pennant and the feeling in the Seattle clubhouse is that this is the Mariners' year. Of course, the same sentiment is clearly the case among the Toronto Blue Jays.
These two finalists are both loaded with talent and there's every chance that this could come down to the late stages of the seventh game. However, the Mariners have several edges in this series that could allow them to gain the advantage and get to the World Series for the first time in team history.
Start off with Cal Raleigh behind the plate. This catcher is contending with Aaron Judge for the American League Most Valuable Player Award. He became the first catcher in Major League history to hi 60 home runs in a season and he also broke Mickey Mantle's record for the most home runs by a switch hitter.
In addition to his tremendous power from both sides of the plate, Raleigh is also a brilliant receiver. He excels at providing a target for his pitching staff and framing the pitch to help his team gain a slight edge from the umpires. He is also sensational when it comes to throwing out base stealers.
Alejandro Pena of the Blue Jays is a fine catcher himself. He does not look like a typical major leaguer because of his short and squatty body, but he is a solid hitter and a decent defensive catcher.
However, he can't compare to Raleigh and he may feel quite a bit of pressure to match the Seattle catcher. That would not be good for the Blue Jays.
Pitching is an advantage for manager Dan Wilson
The Mariners have had great success from their pitching staff all season, and that was never more the case than it was in the decisive fifth game against the Tigers. George Kirby was brilliant as a starter, holding the Tigers scoreless through 5.0 innings and then coming out of the game after giving up a leadoff hit to Javy Baez. Reliever Gabe Speier gave up a two-run homer to Kerry Carpenter that gave the Tigers the lead, but the five pitchers that followed held the Tigers scoreless, giving up just 4 hits the rest of the way.
Luis Castillo closed out the game on the mound for the Mariners, pitching the last 1.1 innings and giving the Mariners a chance to win the game in the bottom of the 15th. He has excellent stuff and Wilson will give him the ball in Game 2 of the ALCS. Castillo is a dominant pitcher with a great fast ball and outstanding command of his secondary pitches. He had an 11-8 record and a 3.54 ERA with 162 strikeouts in 180.2 innings.
However, the Mariners appear to be getting their best starting pitcher back for this series. Bryan Woo was sensational during the regular season. He had a 15-7 record along with a 2.94 earned run average. Woo struck out 198 batters in 186.2 innings, but he was not on the active roster in the ALDS because of a pectoral injury.
However, Woo had a bullpen session Friday that was successful and there were no issues Saturday. MLB insiders are expecting Woo to be on the roster for the ALCS, and a start midway through the series — Game 3 or Game 4 — seems quite likely.
Bryce Miller and Logan Gilbert also solid starters, and Miller will get the start in Game 1 at Toronto. The bullpen features the closing strength of Andres Munoz, who had 38 saves this year and a 1.73 ERA. Matt Brash, Eduard Bazardo and Speier are also key members of the Seattle bullpen.
Role players are clutch players for Mariners
The Mariners are going to need their star players to come through in this series, just as the Blue Jays need the same thing. Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez and Eugenio Suarez all are capable of carrying the Seattle offense.
But the Mariners also have a number of other players in their lineup or coming off the bench that should be able to do damage.
Randy Arozarena starts in left field, and he has a history as an excellent clutch player in the postseason. Josh Naylor has been hot in recent games, showing the ability to foul off difficult pitches and wearing down the opposing pitcher before getting a crucial hit to the opposite field.
Leonardo Rivas drove in the tying run in Game 5 before Jorge Polanco delivered the game winner, and both are capable of coming through when the Mariners need them most.
The big bat of Raleigh, the powerful pitching staff and the ability of role players to come through in the clutch will help the Mariners win the American League pennant for the first time in team history.
