The Seattle Mariners unexpectedly defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in game two of the American League Wild Card Series on Saturday. After winning Game 2 10-9, the Mariners took the best-of-three series. At one point, Seattle was trailing 8-1, but a two-part comeback in the sixth and eighth innings allowed the Mariners to shock the Blue Jays and the Rogers Center crowd and end their 2022 season.
In the eighth inning, JP Crawford hit a critical double and threw a loaded ball to midfield. George Springer, the center fielder for the Blue Jays, was forced from the game after colliding with shortstop Bo Bichette. In the ninth game, Adam Frazier hit the game-winning double.
In the best-of-five division series, the Mariners face top-seeded Houston Astros of the AL West. Seattle’s first postseason appearance since 2001 is going well so far. On a home hit by Oscar Gonzalez in the 15th inning of the opening game of the day, the Cleveland Guardians outlasted the Tampa Bay Rays and eliminated the AL East squad.
Teoscar Hernández hit two home runs in one game.
Let’s start with something positive about the losers given the devastating loss the Jays had at the end of the season.Jays outfielder Hernández has been a consistent source of strength over the past few seasons. He hit 25 home runs and 35 doubles in 131 games during the regular season, and during his career he averaged 33 home runs and 33 doubles in 162 games played. In Game 2, he provided a stark reminder of those power skills when he twice homed Seattle starter (and former Blue Jay) Robbie Ray.
In the second inning, Hernández slammed up a Ray slider, sending it 401 feet to the left:
He then jumped on a first-pitch fastball from Ray in the fourth:
Speaking of which, Hernández is quite adept at ambushing the first offering of a particular at-bat:
His second homer in Game 2 gave him only the third multi-homer postseason game in Blue Jays franchise history. In Toronto’s four-time bottom of the fifth, Hernández added an RBI to his day when he was knocked down with loaded bases.
