SEATTLE — Seattle Mariners fans have waited 48 years to see their team win a pennant. If it happens this year, it won't be in Seattle.

The Mariners fell to the Blue Jays 8-2 in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series on Thursday at T-Mobile Park. The loss evened the best-of-seven ALCS 2-2 and guaranteed the series would head back to Rogers Centre in Toronto for Game 6.

It was the second game in a row Seattle was unable to stifle the potent Blue Jays offense. In the last two contests, Toronto has outscored the M's 21-6.

The Mariners outscored the Blue Jays 13-4 in the first two games of the series in Toronto.

Similar to Game 3 of the ALCS Wednesday — which the Blue Jays won 13-4 — the M's began the game with the lead.

First baseman Josh Naylor hit a solo home run to center field in the bottom of the second that put Seattle in front 1-0.

From that point, it was all Toronto.

Shortstop Andres Gimenez almost immediately erased the deficit and gave the Blue Jays the lead with a two-run home run to right field in the top of the third. He finished the game 2-for-3 with a run, his homer and four RBIs. He doubled the RBI total he had in the postseason entering Thursday.

After Gimenez's home run, Mariners starting pitcher Luis Castillo allowed respective singles to left fielder Nathan Lukes and first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and walked catcher Alejandro Kirk.

With the bases loaded and one out, Castillo was lifted in favor of left-handed pitcher Gabe Speier. Castillo finished the game with one strikeout, one walk and three earned runs allowed on five hits (one homer) in 2.1 innings pitched.

Speier walked center fielder Daulton Varsho with the bases loaded, which resulted in the third earned run attributed to Castillo.

Speier struck out third baseman Ernie Clement and right fielder Addison Barger to get out of the jam, but Toronto led 3-1 when the top of the third was over.

The Blue Jays added another pair of runs to their tally in the top of the fourth. Designated hitter George Springer hit an RBI double and later scored on a wild pitch thrown by Matt Brash, who entered the game shortly after Springer hit the run-scoring extra-base hit.

Toronto's lead was bolstered to 5-1 after the wild pitch.

"They're a good hitting team and we're aggressive with our pitches," Speier said after the game Thursday. "They got us the last two (games) for sure. Nothing's gonna change. We're gonna continue to attack. We need to play a little bit better, throw a little bit better pitches. But other than that, keep attacking."

Seattle got back on the board in the bottom of the sixth after Eugenio Suarez hit a two-out RBI single. The Mariners would have had a chance to score more, but Naylor was tagged out stretching to third to end the inning. Until the fifth, Naylor's two hits were the only ones for the M's.

Future Hall of Famer, multi-time World Series champion and multi-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer channeled his prime self in his outing. He fanned five, walked four and allowed two earned runs on three hits (one home run) in 5.2 innings pitched.

"We talked about Scherzer and his ability, as a veteran, to step up," M's manager Dan Wilson said in a postgame news conference Thursday. "I think he made some good pitches tonight when he had to. I thought he mixed up his arsenal pretty well, he had a good fastball, and then was able to use his changeup, his (curveball) and his slider, as well. I thought he had a pretty good mix with it tonight and kept us off stride."

Toronto gained more breathing room and eventually put the game away in the seventh and eighth innings.

Guerrero hit a solo home run in the top of the seventh and Gimenez hit a two-RBI single in the top of the eighth to put the game on ice.

Seattle will have one more game at home before returning to Canada for Game 6 and (if-necessary) Game 7.

"You just got to come to the ball park every day ready to play, ready to work hard, ready to have fun," Naylor said after the game Thursday. "It's a kid's game at the end of the day. I know it's the postseason, crowds are a little bit louder, lights are a little bit brighter, moments are bigger. But at the end of the day, it's still baseball.

"You still got to show up like it's Game 1, Game 15, Game 130. You just got to play baseball and take certain scenarios out of it. Just come to the ball park ready to play, ready to have fun, ready to enjoy the big moments when you get them, learn from the mistakes when they happen."

The Mariners and Blue Jays will play Game 5 of the ALCS at 3:08 p.m. on Friday at T-Mobile Park. Bryce Miller will start for Seattle and Kevin Gausman will start for Toronto.

RELATED MARINERS STORIES

BRYAN WOO WILL MOVE TO THE BULLPEN FOR PLAYOFFS: The 2025 All-Star likely won't start for the Mariners in the American League Championship Series. CLICK HERE

DAN WILSON, JULIO RODRIGUEZ DISCUSS INTERESTING LINEUP CHANGE FOR GAME 4 OF ALCS: Leo Rivas will hit ninth and play second base for Game 4 of the American League Championship Series between the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays. CLICK HERE

MARINERS WILL LOOK TO RELY ON CASTILLO'S STEADY HAND IN GAME 4 OF ALCS: The Mariners will turn to the pitcher with the most experience in the starting rotation to guide the team to victory in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series.  CLICK HERE

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Remember to join our MARINERS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Mariners fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!