"The Toronto Blue Jays are worthy champions by any measure, whether that be Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s outsized gifts, George Springer's uncanny sense of the moment, or Alejandro Kirk's combination of improbable results and very civilian silhouette. They earned their way to this World Series by reducing the Seattle Mariners to Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh, and a bunch of other employees, and more power to them for that."
"In a town built on international business and angst over its hockey team, the Jays have made themselves a worthy challenger for all that civic energy and anxiety: a formidable lineup that pounds the unworthy into submission not only with volume but timing, as when Springer golfed a 96-mph sinker from Eduard Bazardo into the left-center field seats at Rogers Centre in the home half of the seventh to eradicate the slim advantage the Mariners had built on solo homers from Rodriguez and Raleigh."
"Springer's shot was majestic, to be sure, but unlike either of those two Seattle homers, it brought home a pair of baserunners. That and two spotless innings from the bullpen put the Jays in their first World Series since 1993. It was a fine game with a perfectly just outcome by any standard, save that of Mariners fans who wanted to imagine J-Rod and the Dumper defending their honor in what would have been the first all-West Coast Series since 2002."
The Toronto Blue Jays combined elite individual talent and collective timing to reach the World Series, featuring Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer and Alejandro Kirk. The lineup's power and situational hitting, exemplified by Springer's two-run homer off Eduard Bazardo, overturned a slim Seattle lead. Two flawless bullpen innings preserved the victory and sent Toronto to its first World Series since 1993. The Mariners' offense centered on Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh, but overall depth lagged. A sweep by the Los Angeles Dodgers would end the series quickly; a longer, competitive World Series through November would be preferable.
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