After opening their playoff run with a pair of white-knuckle games at T-Mobile Park, this one was relatively stress-free for the Seattle Mariners.
And now, the M’s are on the precipice of their first trip to the American League Championship Series since 2001.
Eugenio Suárez, J.P. Crawford and Cal Raleigh each homered, and Logan Gilbert tossed six strong innings as the the Mariners rolled to an 8-4 win over the Detroit Tigers in Game 3 of the AL Division Series on Tuesday night at Comerica Park.
Seattle Mariners 8, Detroit Tigers 4: Instant Reaction | Box score
With the victory, Seattle takes a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. Game 4 will be Wednesday in Detroit at either 12:08 p.m. or 4:08 p.m.
Following a nearly three-hour weather-delayed start, the Mariners struck first with a pair of third-inning runs.
Victor Robles led off the frame with a double down the left-field line, then advanced to third on a J.P. Crawford bloop single before taking advantage of a Tigers defensive gaffe.
Left fielder Riley Greene fielded Crawford’s single and threw toward cutoff man Zach McKinstry, who let the ball go by him. The throw then skipped off the glove of catcher Dillon Dingler and trickled behind home plate, which allowed Robles to race home and slide in safely for Seattle’s first run.
Two pitches later, Randy Arozarena grounded an RBI single up the middle to drive in Crawford for a 2-0 lead.
Related: Mariners offense strikes first in pivotal ALDS Game 3 vs Tigers
Suárez began Seattle’s home-run surge in the fourth, jumping on an 0-1 fastball from from starter Jack Flaherty and launching it 422 feet into the left-field seats to make it 3-0. It ended an 0-for-21 skid for Suárez dating back to the final week of the regular season.
Later in the fourth, Raleigh grounded a two-out RBI single up the middle off reliever Tommy Kahnle to stretch the lead to 4-0.
After Detroit got a run back in the fifth, Crawford answered with a sixth-inning solo shot off lefty reliever Brant Hurter, pulling a low sweeper into the right-field seats. Crawford added a sacrifice fly in the eighth to make it 6-1.
Raleigh then provided the exclamation point with a two-run homer in the ninth that extended Seattle’s lead to 8-1. It was Raleigh first homer of the playoffs after his record-breaking 60-homer regular season. And fittingly, the fan who caught the ball was wearing a shirt that read “Dump Here” with the No. 61 on it.
Gilbert, meanwhile, allowed only one run and four hits in his second career playoff start. The 28-year-old right-hander notched seven strikeouts and no walks on 85 pitches.
The Tigers scored three runs off reliever Caleb Ferguson in the ninth, but Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz slammed the door before things started getting a little too close for comfort.
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