Mariners’ defense shines with web gems in pivotal ALCS Game 5 win

SEATTLE – Eugenio Suárez was the undisputed hero of the Seattle Mariners’ pivotal 6-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series on Friday night.

Seattle Mariners 6, Toronto Blue Jays 2: Recap story | Box score

Suárez instantly etched his name in Mariners lore and delivered one of the biggest moments in franchise history with his tiebreaking grand slam in the eighth inning, which ultimately gave the Mariners a 3-2 series lead that places them on the doorstep of their first-ever World Series berth.

But before Suárez’s big swing, the Mariners made a handful of important defensive plays that helped keep the Blue Jays’ high-powered lineup at bay and Seattle’s offense in the game.

The most pivotal defensive play came from All-Star catcher Cal Raleigh in the fourth inning.

After the Blue Jays loaded the bases with no outs, Bryce Miller struck out Daulton Varsho on a splitter and then threw another low splitter to Ernie Clement, who just barely nicked the ball for a dribbler in front of the plate.

As the ball began rolling back across the plate toward foul territory, Raleigh made a heads-up play by pouncing on the ball to keep it fair. In the process, he touched home plate with his knee for a force out and then threw to first to complete a massive inning-ending double play that kept Toronto off the board and preserved a 1-0 lead.

A WILD DOUBLE PLAY TO ESCAPE THE JAM 🤯 pic.twitter.com/wfP2M67Dlz

— MLB (@MLB) October 17, 2025

That wasn’t the only unconventional double play for Seattle.

In the third inning, after Toronto’s Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a leadoff double, Seattle first baseman Josh Naylor snagged a line drive off the bat of Andrés Giménez and then threw from a knee to double up Kiner-Falefa at second base. It helped the Mariners escape the third unscathed after surrendering a combined eight third-inning runs over the previous two games.

The Mariners had given up multiple runs in the 3rd inning the past two games …

Josh Naylor starts a huge double play to make sure that didn’t happen today 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Y2pUGRmxbt

— MLB (@MLB) October 17, 2025

The Mariners also made several highlight-reel catches.

In the eighth, left fielder Randy Arozarena made a leaping catch at the wall to rob Ernie Clement of a likely extra-base hit. Arozarena’s catch helped keep Seattle within a run of Toronto before the Mariners exploded for five runs in the bottom of the frame.

Randy Arozarena leaps at the wall to make a nice grab 💪 pic.twitter.com/Wj0DmA3wB5

— MLB (@MLB) October 18, 2025

Another leaping catch came from second baseman Leo Rivas, who snagged a hard line drive off the bat of Clement in the second inning.

Leo Rivas makes a dazzling leaping play to rob a base knock 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/MXvVjcjEBb

— MLB (@MLB) October 17, 2025

And Suárez even got in on the web gems, making a juggling catch in foul territory on a pop-up from Nathan Lukes in the first inning.

Eugenio Suárez does a juggling act to make a nifty play 👀 pic.twitter.com/ALv4eH0oTw

— MLB (@MLB) October 17, 2025

Game 6 of the ALCS is set for 5:03 p.m. Sunday at Toronto’s Rogers Centre. Radio coverage will be on Seattle Sports, with the TV broadcast airing on FS1. A potential Game 7 would be at 5:08 p.m. Monday.

More Seattle Mariners ALCS coverage

• Jon Morosi: Two big keys to Mariners’ dramatic Game 5 triumph
• Hear Rick Rizzs’ Mariners radio call of Eugenio Suárez’s grand salami
• Salk: Game 5 win tells the 2025 Seattle Mariners’ story in three ways
• Stacy Rost: Mariners’ trade for Suárez didn’t just make them better
• Drayer: Why Seattle Mariners put Bryan Woo in bullpen

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