logo
Series Recap: Blue Jays sweep Mariners for first sweep in two months
alt
Photo credit: © Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Aug 31, 2026, 11:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 31, 2026, 15:49 EDT
Comments
When all hope looked like it disappeared, the ghost of the 2025 Toronto Blue Jays appeared in their most recent series.
This past weekend, the Blue Jays hosted the Seattle Mariners in a 2025 American League Championship Series rematch. Everything clicked for the Blue Jays in this series, and with some help from the out of town scoreboard, they’re set to play the most important series of 2026 (so far) on Tuesday.
On Friday, the Blue Jays were down early, as Dylan Cease gave up a solo home run to Dominic Canzone. But the Jays returned fire in the bottom half of the first, as Brett Bateman hit a single and stole second. Nathan Lukes’ ground out moved Bateman to third, and he easily scored from there thanks to a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. double.
The Jays loaded the bases two batters later, bringing Kazuma Okamoto to the plate, who hit a sacrifice fly to give the Blue Jays a 2-1 lead. Andrés Giménez hit an RBI single to put them up 3-1. 
Neither team scored for the next three innings, but solo home runs by both Lukes and George Springer in the fifth made it a 5-1 game. Okamoto hit his team-leading 27th blast in the sixth, and the Jays scored two more in the seventh for an 8-1 victory.
After giving up the solo home run, Cease allowed just three more hits and walked over his six innings of work. With eight strikeouts in the game, Cease is the first pitcher since Randy Johnson in 2001 to strike out seven or more batters in 19 consecutive starts. What a signing.
Long-balls won the Blue Jays the game on Friday, but Saturday’s 4-3 victory was thanks to some solid base running. Cal Raleigh hit a solo home run in the top of the second, and the Mariners tacked on two more runs off of José Soriano in the fourth.
After dominating for four innings, Kade Anderson finally ran into some trouble in the bottom of the fifth, giving up a one-out single and walk. Eduard Bazardo, the Mariners’ reliever who gave up the home run to Springer in Game 7 of the ALCS, replaced him. Bazardo struck out Alejandro Kirk, but walked Guerrero Jr. to load the bases.
Up came Springer, who turned a 1-2 count into a bases-loaded walk. But instead of one run scoring, two did as Bateman came home to score from second on a wild pitch to cut the Mariners’ lead to one.
The following inning saw Charles McAdoo draw a lead-off walk, followed by two outs. But after a two-out walk, Bateman singled in the game-tying run, followed by a go-ahead RBI single off the bat of Alejandro Kirk. Louis Varland recorded the final three outs for his 31st save, and the Blue Jays won their second consecutive game.
One thing the Blue Jays hadn’t done in over two months is sweep a series. The last time they managed to do it at home was in the series opener against the Athletics all the way back in March. Well, they finally managed to win all three games, defeating the Mariners 7-0 on Sunday.
Max Scherzer struck out the side in the first inning, a precursor for what was to come. In the Jays’ half of the first, Kirk hit a two-run home run. That’s all they needed, as Scherzer pitched seven innings with 10 strikeouts and just one hit allowed. His 10 strikeouts brought him to sole possession of ninth all time in Major League Baseball history.
Of course, the Jays tacked on some runs, with Okamoto hitting his 28th blast of the season and Guerrero Jr. driving in a run with a double. All but one starting position player in the lineup had a hit, with Kirk and Springer each managing to notch two hits.
In the out of town scoreboard, the Cleveland Guardians lost two of three to the Kansas City Royals, bringing the Blue Jays to within just a game and a half behind the final wild card spot. Tuesday begins the most crucial series of the season, as the Jays travel to Ohio to face the Guardians for three games.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, DFOEdmonton, and DFOCalgary. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
News
MORE NEWS. IN YOUR INBOX.
CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Breaking News