How the Blue Jays matched up this season against their ALCS opponents the Mariners

The American League Division Series has wrapped up, and the next phase of the postseason is set to begin in Toronto.

The Toronto Blue Jays are ready to face the Seattle Mariners in the American League Championship Series after the latter outlasted the Detroit Tigers in a 15-inning contest. Both teams are vying to end their World Series droughts. Toronto is hoping to reach its first Fall Classic since 1993, while Seattle aims to make its first World Series appearance in franchise history.

Before the first pitch happens Sunday night at Rogers Centre, let's take a look back at the season series between these two franchises.

Toronto won the season series 4-2 against the Mariners

Toronto and Seattle had their matchups early in the season back in April and May. Their first series, from April 18 to 20 in Toronto, was trouble for the Blue Jays. The Mariners took two out of three, scoring 17 runs en route to the series win.

Then, from May 9 to 11, the Blue Jays visited their second "home" stadium, T-Mobile Park in Seattle, and had a much better outing. The Blue Jays would go on to sweep the Mariners, ultimately winning the season series.

Of course, Blue Jays fans will remember (or rather, be haunted by) their last playoff meetup back in 2022 when the team was up 8-1 after five innings before the Mariners ruined the celebration and finished the sweep.

The offenses

In the April Series, the Blue Jays' bats were relatively quiet in terms of power. The bats were 19-for-73, which resulted in a batting average of .260, a slugging of .301, and an OPS of .618. With just three doubles as their extra base hits, 20 left on base, and a total of 10 runs, Toronto couldn't get the job done against Seattle.

May served up a better outing for the Blue Jays, with a better display of power and extra bases. The team would go on to bat .315/.371/.486 and an OPS of .857. Toronto saw home runs from Nathan Lukes, Bo Bichette, George Springer, and Addison Barger. It certainly felt like a different squad that played in May as opposed to April, scoring 21 runs.

Seattle's best outing against Toronto came in April. The Mariners hit six home runs, resulting in a combined total of 17 runs and a team batting average of .243. It also features Cal Raleigh continuing to be a dangerous hitter against the Blue Jays. He slashed .333/.467/.667 with an OPS of 1.133.

The following month saw Seattle's bats cool off in their sweep. With an average of .196, the Mariners didn't show that same offensive power they had in Toronto the month prior. With just two home runs and a total of 7 runs, it was not the usual outing fans are used to seeing from the Seattle.

The pitching

Toronto's pitching staff wasn't at its sharpest early in the season, and that was evident in the April series against Seattle. The pitching staff worked up a 4.80 ERA, allowing 16 earned runs with 36 strikeouts. The damage mainly came from the starting pitchers.

Bowden Francis pitched five innings with an earned run (via a home run). José Berrios gave up three earned runs in his start. Easton Lucas didn't make it past the second inning after allowing six earned runs. The relievers gave up just six earned runs, four of which came from Jacob Barnes, who's no longer with the team.

May was a stronger series for the pitching staff, with starts from Kevin Gausman, Bowden Francis, and a bullpen day for the final game of the series. Their ERA in those three games sat at 2.33 with a collective effort of 28 strikeouts.

Over in Seattle, April's series was successful, with a 2.79 ERA and 23 strikeouts, outlasting the Blue Jays' tendency to put the ball in play. Despite the Blue Jays getting to Bryan Woo and Logan Gilbert, it was their bullpen that helped keep the Blue Jays at bay. The pen only allowed one earned run in the entire series.

The following month at T-Mobile Park was not friendly for Seattle, a place considered pitcher-friendly. The pitching staff saw an ERA of 7.00 in their sweep, racking up 22 strikeouts and allowing 21 earned runs.

Luis Castillo had another rough outing, allowing five earned runs in five innings. Logan Evans also lasted five innings, giving up three earned runs with three strikeouts. Finally, Bryce Miller had the worst outing of the starters, allowing seven earned runs in five innings.

If there's any indication, it's that these two teams have gone back and forth in 2025, and there's no doubt that'll happen again when the ALCS begins Sunday night. A trip to the World Series is at stake, and both teams are looking to earn the American League Pennant.