Toronto vaults into World Series with 4-3 win over Seattle

After a huge swing by George Springer, the World Series is headed north of the border for the first time in 32 years.

Springer hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the seventh inning and the Toronto Blue Jays won their first pennant since 1993 by beating the Seattle Mariners 4-3 in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays will host Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 on Friday when the Fall Classic comes to Canada for the third time.

The defending champion Dodgers completed a four-game sweep of Milwaukee in the NLCS last week.

Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez each hit a solo home run for Seattle in the team’s first postseason Game 7, but the heartbroken Mariners squandered a 3-1 lead in the seventh and fell eight outs short of their first ever World Series appearance. Seattle remains the only major league club without a pennant.

And it was the 23rd career postseason homer for Springer, tying Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber for third place. Manny Ramírez holds the major league record with 29.

The AL East champion Blue Jays hold home-field advantage and will host the opener because they finished the regular season with 94 wins, one more than the NL West champion Dodgers.



(Photo: Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)