SEATTLE – The Blue Jays and Mariners each have spent their seasons proving their doubters wrong, and now the world will see whose resilience carries more weight.
Both clubs have built their postseason identities on that quality, entering Thursday’s Game 4 of the American League Championship Series convinced that the story still belongs to them.
“This is a team that has proven over and over again that fighting back, bouncing back and having resiliency is part of their DNA,” Seattle manager Dan Wilson said shortly after his club’s 13-4 loss Wednesday night in Seattle’s first home ALCS game since 2001. “Tomorrow is a chance to do that again.”
Seated in the same chair moments later, Blue Jays skipper John Schneider could’ve been talking about the same thing.
“It’s kind of been what we did all year,” Schneider said. “No one expected us to win the division, no one expected us to be here, and I think the guys take that to heart. I couldn’t be prouder of the way they went about today.”
With Seattle leading the ALCS 2-1, Thursday’s matchup between Luis Castillo and Max Scherzer will serve as the latest test of that shared toughness – two clubs built on belief, facing each other with everything on the line.
When is the game and how can I watch it?
First pitch is scheduled for 8:33 p.m. ET (5:33 p.m. PT) on Thursday at T-Mobile Park and can be seen in the United States on FS1.
Blue Jays fans in Canada can tune in via Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ for the broadcast with Buck Martinez, Dan Shulman and Hazel Mae, or listen to the radio call with Ben Shulman and Chris Leroux on Sportsnet 590 The FAN.
All series are available in the US on MLB.TV with authentication to a participating Pay TV provider. Games also are available live internationally, although not in Canada. Sportsnet is MLB’s exclusive English language broadcaster in Canada for every Postseason game, while TVA Sports will be covering the entire AL Postseason and the World Series in French and Broadcaster RDS will cover the entire NL Postseason in French.
Who are the starting pitchers?
Blue Jays: Right-hander Max Scherzer (5-5, 5.19 ERA) is making his first postseason start with Toronto, but the 41-year-old knows how this works. He has two World Series rings and a Hall of Fame résumé, but the Blue Jays need at least one more moment of greatness from him.
Working in Scherzer’s favor, despite an awfully rough ending to the season, is the fact he hasn’t pitched in a game since Sept. 24. Sure, he has stayed sharp with some simulated games over the past few weeks, but the down time has allowed him to get his body right, which he and the Blue Jays believe will unlock the best version of Scherzer again. That version, as we saw through July and early August, is still capable of winning games in the postseason. This is the start the Blue Jays brought Scherzer to Toronto to make, though, and Mad Max will be on full display.
Mariners: Right-hander Luis Castillo (1-0, 0.00 ERA in these playoffs) will make his first start since Seattle’s ALDS Game 2 win over Detroit, way back on Oct. 5. However, he did record the final four outs in the Mariners’ 15-inning win in AL Division Series Game 5 on Friday, which precluded him from pitching in the first two games in Toronto. That, and the Mariners have adamantly tried to avoid using him and George Kirby away from T-Mobile Park, given that Castillo has been much better at home (a 2.45 ERA including the postseason compared to a 4.71 ERA on the road).
What might the starting lineups look like?
Blue Jays: If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. The Blue Jays will likely roll out the same lineup we saw against Kirby in Game 3. Toronto moved Anthony Santander up to chase more power in the cleanup spot Wednesday, but while he did not notch a hit, something worked as the Jays put up 13 runs. So perhaps the idea is worth keeping.
Mariners: Wilson regularly deployed a more consistent daily lineup throughout the regular season, and that was particularly true once the entire roster came together after the Trade Deadline. And that has remained in the playoffs, with the only factors changing based on the opposing pitcher’s handedness. In that context, Wilson will likely roll out a lineup nearly identical to what he used in the ALDS against Detroit’s right-handed starters.
How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
Blue Jays: The Blue Jays stayed away from their key leverage relievers in Game 3, including Louis Varland, who finally took a game off. Along with Varland, they’ll have Seranthony Domínguez, Jeff Hoffman and Brendon Little available on the back end behind Scherzer, while Chris Bassitt and Eric Lauer will be available for length if that’s needed. This bullpen has not been a strength in the postseason by any means, but the arms are fresh for the biggest game of Toronto’s season.
Mariners: Because Game 3 got out of hand early, Wilson again didn’t turn to his three highest-leverage arms, after avoiding Andrés Muñoz, Matt Brash and Gabe Speier in Seattle’s Game 2 win. He also didn’t use Eduard Bazardo on Wednesday, and instead used Carlos Vargas, Caleb Ferguson and Luke Jackson in mopup duty. That should have the Mariners’ bullpen as fresh as could be going into Thursday.
Any injuries of note?
Blue Jays: Bo Bichette was left off the Blue Jays’ ALCS roster as he continues to rehab from his left knee sprain, and his status will remain a daily story in Toronto as he pushes to return in time for a potential World Series. Given that this is also the final year of Bichette’s deal in Toronto, the only organization he has known, the stakes are sky high.
Santander was a late scratch for Game 2 with back tightness, and while he played in Game 3, that’s still worth monitoring. Otherwise, the Blue Jays are a healthy team that’s trying to extend its season long enough to get Bichette back.
Mariners: It appears that Bryan Woo (pectoral inflammation), could now be an option in relief, as he was seen walking to the home bullpen in the middle of the third inning in Game 3. But his usage in general will likely hinge on how things develop for Castillo. Woo came out of a live batting practice session Monday reporting “all positives,” and the Mariners are considering him to start Game 5 on Friday, too. Yet those plans are written in pencil, and even in a best-case scenario, he’ll be used on an abbreviated workload, probably around 50 pitches.
Who is hot and who is not?
Blue Jays: It’s amazing how much can change in a day. After Game 2, only Springer’s bat had a pulse, but this lineup has caught fire. Guerrero just went 4-for-4 with a home run and two doubles while Springer, Kirk, Giménez and Barger all homered. Clement is quietly one of the hottest players in the postseason, too, batting .462 after a 2-for-5 day. This lineup has either been scorching hot or ice cold, with no in between. If there’s one bat that the Blue Jays could still really use, though, it’s Santander. His at-bats have looked better than his numbers, but Toronto needs its big outfielder to turn on a pitch soon and change the narrative of his 2025 season.
Mariners: After Seattle outscored the Blue Jays, 13-4, in Toronto, the Blue Jays enacted that exact same run differential in Game 3 alone — highlighting the Mariners’ struggles to keep their offense rolling as the series shifted to Seattle. Rodríguez was the outlier, crushing a first-inning homer for his second straight game. Arozarena, who was hitting .161 before Wednesday, also got off the schneid by homering in the eighth. Robles is now 3-for-26 (.115) this postseason, and he took a nasty hit into the wall in foul territory when making a catch attempt on Wednesday.
Anything else fans might want to know?
Blue Jays:
