Mariners take 2-0 ALCS lead, beat Blue Jays 10-3 as Rodríguez, Polanco and Naylor homer

TORONTO — The Seattle Mariners are two wins away from reaching the World Series for the first time in their 49-year history.

Julio Rodriguez and Jorge Polanco hit three-run homers and Josh Naylor added a two-run shot as the Mariners beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 10-3, on Monday night and took a two-games-to-none lead in the American League Championship Series.

Seattle, the only MLB team never to host a World Series game, heads home for Wednesday’s Game 3 halfway to clinching this best-of-seven series and ending a drought for a team that started play in 1977. “We’re super-excited to get back home,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “We know what that atmosphere is going to be like.”

Toronto is trying to reach the World Series for the first time since winning its second straight title in 1993. “Always going to have optimism about this team,” manager John Schneider said. “We’ve got to figure out a way to limit damage, one, and then two, generate more offense.’’

Of the 27 teams that have won the first two games on the road in a best-of-seven series during the 2-3-2 format, 24 have gone on to win.

The Mariners struck early on Monday. Rodriguez hit a three-run homer as the third batter of the game against rookie Trey Yesavage, a 22-year-old making his fifth major-league start. Randy Arozarena was hit by a pitch and Cal Raleigh walked to set the stage for Rodriguez.

Toronto answered with two runs in the bottom of the first inning on RBI singles by Nathan Lukes and Alejandro Kirk off Logan Gilbert. Lukes’ RBI single tied it at 3-3 in the second.

Polanco’s three-run homer off Louis Varland put Seattle ahead 6-3 in the fifth.

Schneider blamed poor pitch location for the pivotal homer. “Didn’t execute up where we wanted to and paid the price,” he said.

J.P. Crawford added an RBI single in the sixth and Naylor had a two-run homer in the seventh.

The Blue Jays look like a different team from the one that scored 34 runs and had 50 hits, 21 for extra bases, against the Yankees in the ALDS.

Toronto had six hits in ALCS Game 2, only one after the second inning, after picking up two hits in Game 1, none after the second inning. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was 0-for-3 with a walk and is hitless (0-for-7) in the series. He went 9-for-17 with three homers and nine RBIs in four games against the Yankees.

“Slug hasn’t been there for us, has been there for them,” Schneider said.

Six of Polanco’s first seven hits this postseason have driven in runs. He had the Division Series-ending single in the 15th inning Friday against Detroit and went 2-for-4 with two RBIs in Seattle’s 3-1 win in ALCS Game 1.

Seattle’s bullpen has thrown nine scoreless innings in the series, allowing one hit. Going back to the ALS, Seattle relievers have thrown 18 straight shutout innings.

“Just an outstanding job again tonight from the bullpen,” Wilson said. “You can’t ask for more than that, and these guys really delivered.”

Naylor, born in neighboring Mississauga, Ontario, fouled a ball off his right foot in the first inning and looked uncomfortable in the batter’s box in the fifth, prompting Wilson to come out and check on him. With Miles Mastrobuoni getting ready to come into the game, Naylor convinced Wilson to leave him in and homered in the seventh.

Naylor finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs.

“I was very thankful to get some hits, help the team out,” he said. “Super-cool to do it in front of my family, too. Very blessed to have them all here, all my friends. It was a really cool moment for them.”

Yesavage, who took the loss, gave up three runs and four hits in four innings-plus. He set a Blue Jays postseason record by striking out 11 Yankees in 5 1⁄3 hitless innings in ALDS Game 2 but had only two swings-and-misses on his splitter Monday, down from 11 against the Yankees.

“I thought his stuff was pretty similar,” Schneider said. “Had the three strikeouts but wasn’t getting as much swing-and-miss. That was the biggest thing.”

Said Yesavage, “We have a good day tomorrow to reset as a team and get ready for Game 3 and whatever happens there. I wouldn’t count this group out. This group is special.”