Seattle Mariners Star Eugenio Suarez’s Grand Slam Lifts Team To 3-2 ALCS Lead
You could feel it in the air. That electric, playoff-baseball buzz. Game 5 of the ALCS, everything knotted up, and the Seattle Mariners desperately needed a hero. After dropping two straight at home, the vibes were, let’s say, less than immaculate. Eugenio Suarez decided to put on the cape and save the team.
The Toronto Blue Jays had clawed their way back into the series, and the deafening roar of T-Mobile Park had softened to a nervous murmur. Then came the eighth inning. An inning that will be etched into Seattle sports lore for a generation.
The Rally that Rocked the Emerald City
EUGENIO SUÁREZ CONNECTS AGAIN IN GRAND FASHION 🤯
WHAT A GAME IN SEATTLE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/9BQVmonoum
— MLB (@MLB) October 18, 2025
Entering the bottom of the eighth, the Mariners were trailing 2-1, a familiar and frustrating script for the home crowd. The offense had been mostly sleeping, and the Blue Jays seemed to have an answer for everything. But then, Cal Raleigh, the man they call “Big Dumper,” stepped up to the plate. This is the guy who set records for home runs by a catcher this season. The crowd chanted “M-V-P!” as if trying to will something into existence.
On a 2-0 count, Raleigh connected with a pitch from lefty Brendon Little, sending a high-arcing shot toward left field. For a heart-stopping moment, it looked like it might be caught. But the ball dropped just over the wall, into the glove of a fan, and the stadium absolutely erupted. Tie game. Hope, restored.
The chaos was just beginning. Little, clearly rattled, walked the next two batters. Manager John Schneider had seen enough and brought in Seranthony Dominguez. His first move? Hitting Randy Arozarena to load the bases. You can’t make this stuff up.
The Suarez Grand Slam Heard ‘Round the World
That brought Suarez to the plate. With the bases juiced and the count at 2-2, Suarez uncorked the swing of his life. He connected with a 99-mph fastball and launched it into the bleachers in right field. It was a no-doubter. A grand slam. The stadium didn’t just go wild; it felt like it might lift off the ground.
Suarez, ever the showman, stood at the plate for a moment, blew kisses to the delirious fans as he crossed home, and was greeted by a Gatorade ice bath from Julio Rodriguez. It was pure, unadulterated baseball bliss. From the brink of despair to a commanding 6-2 lead in the blink of an eye.
Andres Munoz closed it out in the ninth, and just like that, the Mariners were back in the driver’s seat, leading the series 3-2. They are now just one win away from their first World Series appearance in franchise history. They will head back to Toronto for Game 6 with a chance to make history. For a city that has waited 48 long years, it is a feeling that’s hard to describe. But after a night like this, they’re starting to believe.
