SEATTLE (AP) — George Kirby was in the strike zone — perhaps too much.
The Toronto Blue Jays had 18 hits, including five home runs, all within the first three pitches of an at-bat in a 13-4 rout of the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night that pulled them to 2-1 in the AL Championship Series.
Eight of those hits came off Kirby, who hadn’t yielded that many hits in a start since Sept. 3.
“I’m never going to stray away from what I do well, and that’s get ahead and be in the zone,” Kirby said. “And they had a lot of comfortable at-bats tonight.”
Kirby gave up a tying, two-run homer to Andrés Giménez in a five-run third on an inside fastball and two-run double to Daulton Varsho on an up fastball.
George Springer homered on a sinker in the fourth and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on a slider in the