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Series Preview: Blue Jays look to build on Canada Day momentum in Seattle
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Photo credit: © Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
Tristan Morgan
Jul 3, 2026, 14:30 EDTUpdated: Jul 3, 2026, 14:26 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays open a three-game set at T-Mobile Park on Friday night in a rematch of last season’s American League Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners, and both clubs look far different than the teams that battled seven games last October.
Just past the midway point of the season, the Blue Jays have a 41-46 record, sitting third in the AL East and 11.5 games back. On their recent home stand, the Jays went 3-7 and had a much-needed rest on Thursday. The Blue Jays salvaged some momentum heading into this trip, taking two of three from the Mets at Rogers Centre, including a 9-3 win on Canada Day in which Sean Keys and Myles Straw each hit three-run homers.
Entering Friday’s contest, the Blue Jays are just 3.5 games back of the final AL wild-card spot, and with the August 3 trade deadline approaching, general manager Ross Atkins will be watching how this road trip unfolds before deciding the course of action they’ll take in the trade market this summer.
The Mariners enter this series with a 45-43 record and have quietly climbed back into the AL West race, sitting a half-game behind Texas for first place with a seat in the third AL Wild Card spot. In their most recent series, the Mariners swept the Angels, capped by a 1-0 win Thursday night behind seven strong innings from starting pitcher Bryce Miller. 
Whenever these two teams meet at T-Mobile Park, the building takes on a different feel as Western Canadians flood south, turning Seattle into something close to a home away from home for the Blue Jays. That tradition should hold again this weekend, with up to 20,000 Blue Jays fans attending each game in past years.
Game 1 of this series is arguably the most lopsided matchup of the series on paper. Dylan Cease, who has emerged as the Blue Jays’ ace amid a rotation ravaged by injury, takes the mound with a 3.02 ERA, 128 strikeouts and a 13.8 K/9 over 83.1 innings. He faces Luis Castillo, who carries a 4.93 ERA on the season; however, it seems he’s turned a corner, posting a 3.03 ERA and 30 strikeouts across his last four starts. 
Saturday’s Game 2 is a rare afternoon start, moved up because of Independence Day in the USA. Shane Bieber gets the ball in what is his third start since returning from right elbow inflammation. Bieber has totalled just nine innings and given up six runs across his first two starts back and is still searching for consistency after undergoing Tommy John surgery back in 2024. 
Bieber will be working against a Mariners rotation that will be working in tandem on America’s birthday. Seattle will lean on Logan Gilbert, outstanding over his last seven starts with a 2.08 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 43.3 innings, before turning things over early to Emerson Hancock to keep both arms stretched out in the midst of a six-man rotation. 
Trey Yesavage closes out the series Sunday against George Kirby in what looks like the most evenly matched pitching duel of the weekend. Yesavage continues to impress in his first full season, with a 3.34 ERA and 61 strikeouts over 67.1 innings, while Kirby brings real momentum into the matchup after his eight-inning gem against the Angels last Monday, in which he allowed just two runs on seven hits and struck out seven.

Player to Watch: Cole Young

If there is one player capable of tilting this series, it might be the most unassuming player who’ll bite the Blue Jays. Seattle’s 22-year-old second baseman. Cole Young delivered the first multi-homer game of his career on June 29 against the Angels, launching a 412-foot blast off Ryan Johnson before adding a 428-foot shot off a lefty reliever later in the game, part of a stretch that has him hitting .364 with his last week of play, with nine home runs on the season. 
Young has had a knack for the clutch early in his career. In his first 165 career games, he owns three walk-off hits, including a walk-off single in extra innings against the Diamondbacks last season, becoming just the fifth player in MLB history to record a walk-off in his major-league debut.
More recently, Young walked off the New York Mets, delivering a base hit to kick off June for the Mariners. For an offence that has battled prolonged cold stretches from its stars, Young’s knack for coming through in big moments has made him one of the most dangerous hitters in this lineup and someone the Blue Jays will have to pitch very carefully.
Toronto’s biggest concern walking into this series is its inability to beat good teams, sitting at just 14-29 against clubs with a winning record, the worst mark in the American League. Seattle, sitting above .500, is the exact type of test the Blue Jays have struggled to pass. 
If the Blue Jays want to be buyers this trade deadline, the needle has to start moving before trades start coming in. The ship has to at least float before it can thrive, and the nine-game road trip that can decide Toronto’s future starts in Seattle. 

Quick Hits

  • The Blue Jays hold the all-time edge in this rivalry, sitting at 228-209 against the Mariners across regular season and postseason play dating back to 1977.
  • One bright spot for the Blue Jays is their bullpen. Despite being heavily taxed, it carries just a 3.72 ERA in 2026, 9th in MLB, while also being tied for saves in MLB with 27.
  • Kazuma Okamoto walked away with AL Rookie of the Month honours after posting a 152 wRC+ with seven homers in the month of June as he made he’s set to make his debut at T-Mobile Park.
  • In 2025, the Blue Jays won the season series versus the Mariners, finishing with a 4-2 record. Which was capped off by a three-game sweep in Seattle last May.

Probable Pitchers

Game 1: Dylan Cease vs. Luis Castillo
Game 2: Shane Bieber vs. Logan Gilbert
Game 3: Trey Yesavage vs. George Kirby

Game Times

Friday: 10:10 PM ET
Saturday: 4:10 PM ET
Sunday: 5:00 PM ET
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