SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners returned to T-Mobile Park on Tuesday with all the momentum in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series against the Toronton Blue Jays.

The Mariners took the first two games of the ALCS at Rogers Centre in Canada on Sunday and Monday. It was the first time in Seattle's four ALCS berths in franchise history the club was up 2-0. The Mariners also had history working on their side — only 15 teams in MLB history had come back from down 2-0 to win a best-of-seven series.

It took just two days for that momentum to shift the direction of the Blue Jays.

Toronto took Games 3 and 4 of the ALCS on Wednesday and Thursday by scores of 13-4 and 8-2, respectively. Seattle will have one more game at T-Mobile Park at 3:08 p.m. PT on Friday before it returns to Rogers Centre for Game 6 and (if-necessary) Game 7.

It will be on starting pitcher Bryce Miller to quell the dynamic Toronto lineup and help send the Mariners back to Canada with the series lead.

Luckily for Miller and the Mariners, the former Texas A&M product has already done that.

Miller got the nod for Game 1 of the ALCS on Oct. 12. He had the best showing of any M's starting pitcher in the series (and arguably the postseason) thus far. He struck out three, walked three and allowed one earned run on two hits (one home run) in six innings pitched. His lone run allowed came via a solo shot allowed to George Springer on the first pitch he threw in Game 1.

Miller navigated around the first-pitch home run, and a 27-pitch first inning, to register the first postseason quality start of his three-year major league career. It was his second start of the postseason in general. He started in Game 4 of an American League Divisional Series against the Detroit Tigers on Oct. 8.

"It's a little different throwing to the same team in five days," Miller said in a pregame news conference Thursday. "Only time I've done that is in the minor leagues with the new minor league schedule. They were swinging it really well (in the ALDS) against the Yankees and we slowed them down. (Wednesday) they were swinging it really good. I don't want to say too much on game plan or anything, but just got to study how I threw the other day and what works and what doesn't work and go out and attack."

Miller's Game 1 performance came as a shock to fans outside the Pacific Northwest.

Miller posted a 2.94 ERA in 2024 and was one of the best starting pitchers in the majors in the second half of that season. This year, he's battled a bone spur in his right elbow that's resulted in two stints on the injured list due to right elbow inflammation. He opted against surgery to get rid of the spur earlier in the season due to the possibility of it being season-ending.

Miller's struggled to regain his 2024 form this season due to the injury. He had a 5.68 ERA and fanned 74 batters in 90.1 innings pitched across 18 starts.

But for one game, Miller was able to capture some of that 2024 magic. And he did it against one of the most aggressive lineups in baseball — a stark difference to the passive and patient Tigers lineup he faced in the ALDS. Now, with Seattle in desperate need of a momentum shift, he'll be asked to do it again.

"The main thing, just teams in general, whenever you're throwing to a very aggressive lineup compared to one that's not so aggressive — you have to really make your pitches," Miller said. "You still have to get ahead, that's what we preach and what we try to do no matter what. You want to get ahead with your 0-0's and your 1-1's. But you got to be a little more careful in the early-count pitches. ... You just got to make it a point to make better pitches in those early counts. Get to the edges and not give up the middle part of the plate early."

Miller will go against Toronto starting pitcher Kevin Gausman, who was on the hill for the Blue Jays in Game 1 of the ALCS.

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