The first playoff game in Toronto since 2016 did not go as planned. The Mariners grabbed a 4-0 win in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series to go up 1-0 in the best-of-three.
Blue Jays starter Alek Manoah struggled early in his postseason debut. The big right-hander gave up three runs in the first inning, on a Eugenio Suarez double and a Cal Raleigh home run. Suarez would add another RBI in the fifth inning to extend Seattle's lead to 4-0.
Manoah settled down after the rough first. He lasted 5 2/3 innings, allowing four earned runs on four hits, a walk and four strikeouts.
The man on the mound opposite Manoah was sensational. Toronto's bats had no answer for Luis Castillo. The Seattle ace tossed 7 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up six hits and no walks and struck out five in the win.
Toronto now faces a must-win Game 2 on Saturday, while Seattle can clinch a spot in the ALDS with a win. It is likely that Kevin Gausman will be on the mound for the Blue Jays against former Blue Jay and 2021 AL Cy Young award winner Robbie Ray.
MORE: Ranking all 12 teams by chances of winning World Series
The Sporting News provided live updates and highlights from Game 1 of the Blue Jays-Mariners Wild Card Series.
Blue Jays vs. Mariners Game 1 score
| Inning | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | F |
| Mariners | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Blue Jays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Blue Jays vs. Mariners Game 1 updates
7:10 p.m. — Final: Tapia grounds out and that's it, the Mariners hang on to win 4-0. A three-run first inning and sensational pitching from Castillo helps Seattle to grab a 1-0 series lead. The Mariners are one win away from a date with the Astros, while the Blue Jays face a must-win Game 2 on Saturday.
7:07 p.m. — Ball gets by Raleigh behind the plate and Chapman advances to third.
7:06 p.m. — Life for the Blue Jays. After strikeouts to Kirk and Hernandez, Chapman doubles to left field to keep Toronto's comeback hopes alive.
6:59 p.m. — Cimber gets Rodriguez to pop out and France to ground out, ending the inning. Final three outs for the Blue Jays who are down by four.
6:55 p.m. — Richards comes out after getting an out and walking J.P. Crawford. Adam Cimber will come in with a runner on first and one out with Rodriguez up to bat.
6:47 p.m. — End of eighth: Munoz gets Bichette and Guerrero Jr. and that's now eight scoreless innings for the Blue Jays. Potentially one more inning before the Mariners take a 1-0 series lead.
6:41 p.m. — That's it for Castillo, as Scott Servais will bring in Andres Munoz after his starter hits Springer. An excellent start for Castillo, who goes 7.1 IP with six hits, zero runs and five strikeouts. He's in line for the win if Seattle holds on to the 4-0 lead.
6:39 p.m. — Castillo starts the eighth inning. Merrifield flies out to right, but then Castillo hits Springer in the hand. After a long conversation with Schneider and the trainer, Springer stays in the game.
6:34 p.m. — Richards gets out of the jam, striking out Carlos Santana and getting Kelenic to ground out.
6:30 p.m. — That's it for Pop, as Trevor Richards takes over on the mound. Tough situation for him with two runners in scoring position and just one out, but he'll be tasked with cleaning up.
6:29 p.m. — After a Suarez single, Mitch Haniger doubles to left field, putting runners on second and third with one out. Seattle has a chance to build on its four-run lead.
6:22 p.m. — Zach Pop will start the 8th inning on the mound for Toronto. He was acquired at the deadline from the Marlins.
6:19 p.m. — End of seventh: Castillo strikes out the side in the seventh. Just complete dominance today from the Seattle starter. We'll see if Scott Servais turns to his bullpen for the 8th or continues to ride with Castillo.
6:10 p.m. — Garcia gets France to ground out to him for the third out. We head to the seventh inning stretch in Toronto, Mariners still hold a 4-0 lead.
6:08 p.m. — Rodriguez is on with two outs, as he singles to left for his first career postseason hit.
6:05 p.m. — Mayza gets the first two batters out in the seventh, and with a righty in Rodriguez coming up, John Schneider goes to his pen and brings in right-handed Yimi Garcia.
5:52 p.m. — End of sixth: Yet another 1-2-3 inning for Castillo and the Mariners. The Blue Jays have managed to get six hits off the righty, but have not strung anything together for runs.
5:52 p.m. — Mayza just needs one pitch to grab the third out in the top of the sixth, as Jarred Kelenic grounds out.
5:49 p.m. — Manoah gets the first two outs in the sixth, and that will be it for him. Not the start Manoah was looking for, but he settled down and was grooving after the three runs in the first. He ends the day with 5.2 IP, allowing four earned runs on four hits, a walk and four strikeouts. Tim Mayza will take over on the mound.
5:44 p.m. — End of fifth: Castillo jams Bichette and causes him to ground out to end the inning. Blue Jays still have not plated a run yet.
5:42 p.m. — A blooper to left from Whit Merrifield and an infield single for George Springer gives Toronto two runners on with two outs and Bichette at the plate.
5:33 p.m. — Raleigh pops out to third to end the inning, but once again, a hit batter comes around to score and the Mariners hold a 4-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth.
5:32 p.m. — Suarez chops a ground ball to Chapman at third, who throws out France at second, but the Blue Jays can't turn two and Rodriguez scores, 4-0 Mariners.
5:31 p.m. — Runners on the corners now for Seattle with one out as France singles to right field.
5:29 p.m. — Manoah again tries to backdoor a two-seam fastball on Rodriguez, but instead it comes inside and hits him. Second time Rodriguez has been on base thanks to a HBP.
5:23 p.m. — End of fourth: Castillo answers with another three up, three down inning. Both pitchers have looked strong so far, with the exception of Manoah's first inning.
5:16 p.m. — Another 1-2-3 inning for Manoah, who has settled in after a rocky start.
5:09 p.m. — End of third: Guerrero Jr. flies out to center field and Toronto leaves two runners stranded.
5:07 p.m. — Back-to-back hits by George Springer and Bo Bichette put two runners on with two outs in the third, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. coming up.
4:59 p.m. — First 1-2-3 inning for Manoah as he sits the Mariners down in order.
4:51 p.m. — End of second: Raimel Tapia flies out to center to end the inning. Two hits but no runs yet for the Blue Jays.
4:49 p.m. — After a Tesocar Hernandez double play, Matt Chapman drops a single into center field to put a runner back on first.
4:46 p.m. — First hit and first base runner for Toronto is aboard as Alejandro Kirk takes an 0-2 fastball and sends it down the right field line for a single.
4:42 p.m. — Manoah gets out of the inning unscathed, striking out Rodriguez and getting Ty France to fly out to right.
4:38 p.m. — Mariners have runners on first and second, as a single to Adam Frazier and a walk to J.P. Crawford gives Seattle a chance to build on its lead with the top of the order up and one out.
4:30 p.m. — End of first: The Blue Jays go three up, three down in the bottom fo the 1st as Castillo gets three groundouts.
4:19 p.m. — Rough start to the postseason for Manoah, who allows three runs in the first inning. Blue Jays get their first crack at Luis Castillo, but are behind 3-0 early.
4:19 p.m. — Cal Raleigh takes Manoah deep on a two-seam fastball high for a two-run shot. It's 3-0 Mariners still in the top of the first.
Cal loves the big moments! #WildCard pic.twitter.com/P1fKrX9Coc
— MLB (@MLB) October 7, 2022
4:14 p.m. — The Mariners on the board, as Eugenio Suarez rips a double down the right field and scores Rodriguez. 1-0 Seattle in the top of the 1st.
3 batters in and the @Mariners have a lead! #WildCard pic.twitter.com/iGRZAw7yf9
— MLB (@MLB) October 7, 2022
4:10 p.m. — Mariners get their first base runner of the game early as Manoah hits Julio Rodriguez in the hand.
4:08 p.m. — Manoah fires the first pitch and Game 1 is on.
3:30 p.m. — Here is how both teams will lineup for Game 1.
#BlueJays lineup for Game 1 of the Wild Card series vs. Luis Castillo and the Mariners: pic.twitter.com/XQlefN8H9U
— Kaitlyn McGrath (@kaitlyncmcgrath) October 7, 2022
Playoff Lineup. Playoffs. Mariners did well. Let’s win. pic.twitter.com/HnJ9j81vua
— Seattle Mariners ON Tap (@MarinersONtap) October 7, 2022
How to watch the Blue Jays vs. Mariners Game 1
- Date: Friday, Oct. 7
- TV channel: Sportsnet
Sportsnet has been the home of the Blue Jays all season and will be during the postseason as well. The Toronto-Seattle Wild Card Series will air live on Sportsnet and also be available to stream on SN NOW.
Buck Martinez, Pat Tabler and Hazel Mae will be the broadcast crew for those games. Dan Shulman will be doing games for ESPN Radio and therefore be unavailable to work on the Sportsnet broadcasts during the postseason.
What time is Blue Jays vs. Mariners Game 1?
- Date: Friday, Oct. 7
- Time: 4:07 p.m. ET
Game 1 of the Blue Jays-Mariners series is set for Friday, Oct. 7. First pitch is scheduled for 4:07 p.m. ET.
The entire series will be played at Rogers Centre in Toronto.
Mariners vs. Blue Jays Game 1 odds
- Moneyline: Blue Jays -146
- Runline: Blue Jays (-1.5) +153 | Mariners (+1.5) -183
- O/U: 7.0
The Blue Jays enter the first game of the series as the favorite.
The Mariners went 5-2 against the Blue Jays during the regular season, including a five-game winning streak heading into the postseason.
Mariners vs. Blue Jays schedule
The Mariners and Blue Jays will play in a best-of-three series in Toronto this weekend.
| Date | Game | Time (ET) | Channel |
| Fri., Oct. 7 | Game 1: Mariners at Blue Jays | 4:07 p.m. | Sportsnet |
| Sat., Oct. 8 | Game 2: Mariners at Blue Jays | 4:07 p.m. | Sportsnet |
| Sun., Oct. 9 | Game 3: Mariners at Blue Jays (if necessary) | 2:07 p.m. | Sportsnet |
