Toronto Blue Jays Secure World Series Showdown Against defending champion Dodgers

Toronto's Blue Jays reached their initial championship series following 1993 by defeating the Mariners in the decisive seventh game of the ALCS.

Down three runs to one, outfielder George Springer delivered a three-run homer in the seventh, propelling the only Canadian franchise in the majors to a 4-3 triumph in the seven-game series. Awaiting them are the Dodgers, holders of the current crown, in the upcoming World Series.

"I'm thrilled for this squad, the city, the nation," commented Springer, a star of the Astros team that claimed the 2017 World Series. "What an amazing experience."

George Springer has now slugged 23 post-season home runs, ranking him third all-time after Manny Ramirez (29) and Altuve (twenty-seven).

"I can't think of another player on planet Earth that I'd choose in that situation except for George Springer with his October magic," noted Blue Jays manager John Schneider.

The Mariners, after leading the early in the series, continue to be the sole team never to appear in a championship series.

Mariners manager Dan Wilson commented "certainly that it's going to sting" in the wake of his side's defeat at Toronto's Rogers Centre, but commended their performance throughout the year.

"This is a unique group. It's a shame that we ended up on the unsuccessful side of this one," he continued.

Toronto's team won the championship on each of their earlier trips in the early 90s, and will welcome the Los Angeles in the opener on the upcoming Friday.