The story of Achilles was one of the bravest warriors in the Trojan War for Agamemnon’s army, according to Greek mythology. His only detrimental weakness was his heels, which weren’t dipped in the River Styx, which was supposed to give him immortality. After figuring this out with guidance from Apollo, Paris of Troia aimed and shot his heel with an arrow to defeat him.
On Sunday night, the Toronto Blue Jays found ways to scratch out a win to see another day in the ALCS, much like Paris, who capitalized on Achilles’ weakness.
Twenty-two-year-old rookie starter Trey Yesavage had a heavy task on his shoulders as his team had its back against the wall. None of this was supposed to be his responsibility; even Yesavage himself didn’t think he had a chance to play in the majors this year. But here he was helping the Blue Jays make their playoff push and playing a major role.
His ALDS performance was more than stellar, but his outing against the Seattle Mariners was far from perfect in Game 2. Fully understanding this, Yesavage knew he needed a redemption game in Game 6 as he headed out to the mound at Rogers Centre. The young starting pitcher’s innings weren’t the cleanest of outings, and that was partly because Seattle decided to become even more patient with his more volatile pitching tendencies.
Trey Yesavage gets a massive ovation after 5.2 IP!
🎥: Sportsnet | #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/BlHXxQHQlD
— Blue Jays Nation (@thejaysnation) October 20, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
That strategy worked for loading bases at the top of the third and the top of the fourth. Yet, the Mariners came up empty in those innings because the Pennsylvania native successfully induced groundballs that led to double plays. When things couldn’t have gotten any worse, Toronto turned to its specialty to quell the chaos: superb infield defence. To make this far more fascinating, the Blue Jays executed the double play again at the top of the fifth to get the Jays out of another jam
Toronto eventually coughed up two runs later in the game, but the team put an enormous amount of pressure throughout Game 6 by leaning into its strength and taking advantage of Seattle’s weak spots. The Blue Jays forced Seattle’s defence to make mistakes with their contact-first approach, coupled with patience and grit. That combination worked out the magic as the Mariners’ infield (mainly Eugenio Suarez) struggled to execute clean defence. Pressuring the rival’s defence paid off at the bottom of the seventh when Cal Raleigh made a rare throwing error to let Vladimir Guerrero Jr. score.
Facing an Achilles-like team, the Blue Jays understood what their assignment was: staying true to who they have been. By doing so, they challenged Seattle’s pitching early on after scoring four runs, showcased their elite defensive skills and put enough balls in play to wear out the opponent’s pitching staff and defence. They knew playing to their strength was going to put the Mariners’ weakness in the spotlight, and that’s exactly what transpired in Game 6.
Much like any other team in the league, the Mariners weren’t your juggernaut that no one could beat. Therefore, the Blue Jays made it their mission to expose their flaws by letting the Mariners make bad-quality contacts (on top of 13 strikeouts), pounce on the pitching staff to reinforce Toronto’s relentless offensive identity and forcing Seattle’s defence to crumble on its own.
THE TORONTO BLUE JAYS FORCE GAME 7!!!! pic.twitter.com/mIM4YtloCU
— Blue Jays Nation (@thejaysnation) October 20, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Achilles was a gifted warrior, but wasn’t completely invincible. The Blue Jays so badly needed Game 6 to show the world that the Mariners were Achilles they had to conquer. Something they weren’t able to do in three of their ALCS losses was shutting down the Mariners’ rallies. The moment Toronto gave Seattle openings to score more runs, it walked all over Toronto’s pitching by using home run power. But this time, the Blue Jays didn’t even give the Mariners the chance to even dream of a comeback. Surrendering two runs wasn’t ideal, but forcing double plays and generating strikeouts certainly took away all the encouragement from Seattle’s dugout.
With this priceless win, the Blue Jays struck the Mariners on their heel at Rogers Centre for once. They need one more blow to put this nightmarish series to bed. Opportunities like this don’t come around often, yet the Blue Jays have that golden chance right in front of them now after clawing back to tie the ALCS. Pressure is a reward reserved for those who deserve it the most. If the Blue Jays are worthy of more pressure, they will find ways to make diamonds with it.
All Toronto Blue Jays odds are brought to you by MLB betting site Betway!
Presented by Betway