Frazier gets winning hit as Mariners rally past Blue Jays
TORONTO — Adam Frazier hit a tiebreaking RBI double in the ninth inning, and the Seattle Mariners erased a seven-run deficit while topping the Toronto Blue Jays 10-9 on Saturday for a sweep of their AL wild-card series.
It was the biggest road comeback win in playoff history and baseball’s largest comeback victory to clinch a postseason series. Next up for resilient Seattle is Houston in the AL Division Series.
Toronto center fielder George Springer was carted off the field after he collided with shortstop Bo Bichette while trying to catch J.P. Crawford’s tying three-run double with two out in the eighth.
Cal Raleigh, who hit an RBI single for Seattle in the eighth, reached on a one-out double against Jordan Romano in the ninth. After Mitch Haniger flied out, Frazier drove in Raleigh with a double to right.
George Kirby, Seattle’s eighth pitcher of the game, handled the ninth for his first career save.
The Mariners also beat the Blue Jays 4-0 in Game 1 of the best-of-three series on Friday.
Teoscar Hernández homered twice and drove in four runs for Toronto.
METS 7, PADRES 3
NEW YORK — Pete Alonso launched a tiebreaking homer and Jacob deGrom pitched well enough to help save the Mets’ season.
Francisco Lindor also went deep, Jeff McNeil laced a critical two-run double and All-Star closer Edwin Díaz entered much earlier than usual to protect a one-run lead in the seventh inning.
New York broke open the game by scoring four times in the bottom half, keyed by the bases-loaded double McNeil lined off Adrian Morejon through a drawn-in infield.
Seth Lugo retired cleanup hitter Josh Bell on a bases-loaded grounder for the save, ending a game that took 4 hours, 13 minutes.
The teams play a decisive Game 3 on Sunday night at Citi Field, with the winner advancing to a best-of-five NL Division Series against the Dodgers beginning Tuesday.
Joe Musgrove is scheduled to start for his hometown Padres against 15-game winner Chris Bassitt.
PHILLIES 2, CARDINALS 0
ST. LOUIS — Aaron Nola pitched four-hit ball into the seventh inning, Bryce Harper’s homer gave Philadelphia an early lead, and the Phillies held off the Cardinals to sweep their National League wild-card series.
Nola struck out six and walked one on 101 pitches before leaving with two outs in the seventh. Jose Alvarado then retired Yadier Molina on a popup, stranding a runner on first. Seranthony Dominguez struck out Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado to wiggle out of a two-on, one-out jam in the eighth.
Goldschmidt and Arenado, two of the leading contenders for NL MVP, went a combined 1 for 15 in the series with no RBIs and six strikeouts.
The Cardinals made one finally charge off Zach Eflin in the ninth, getting consecutive two-out singles from Corey Dickerson and Molina. But the starter-turned-closer responded by getting Tommy Edman to foul out to end the game, giving the Phillies their first postseason series win since topping Cincinnati in the 2010 divisional round.
They’ll face a familiar foe, the NL East champion Braves, when their division series begins Tuesday night in Atlanta.
GUARDIANS 1, RAYS 0, 15 INNINGS
CLEVELAND — Rookie Oscar Gonzalez broke up the longest scoreless postseason game in history with a leadoff homer in the 15th inning, giving the Guardians a sweep of the Wild Card Series.
Gonzalez drove a 1-0 cutter — the 432nd pitch in the nearly five-hour game — off Corey Kluber over the wall in left-center to touch off a wild celebration.
Next up for Cleveland is the opener of its best-of-five Division Series on Tuesday in New York against the AL East champion Yankees.
Tampa Bay had six hits and used eight pitchers, including Kluber, who made his first relief appearance in more than nine years. Cleveland got five hits, also used eight pitchers and squandered a bases-loaded opportunity in the sixth.
Tampa Bay was bounced quickly from its fourth straight postseason appearance. The Rays finished with seven straight losses.
