Kirk drives in go-ahead run as Blue Jays come back for 4-3 victory over Mariners

By: Tim Wharnsby, The Canadian Press Posted: 5:35 PM CDT Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026 Last Modified: 5:57 PM CDT Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026

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TORONTO - Brett Bateman and Alejandro Kirk delivered two-out run-scoring singles in the sixth inning, and Louis Varland earned his 31st save to lead the Toronto Blue Jays to a 4-3 comeback win over the Seattle Mariners.

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TORONTO – Brett Bateman and Alejandro Kirk delivered two-out run-scoring singles in the sixth inning, and Louis Varland earned his 31st save to lead the Toronto Blue Jays to a 4-3 comeback win over the Seattle Mariners.

The Blue Jays (67-70) have topped the Mariners (64-72) in the first two games of the three-game series to properly celebrate former catcher, manager and team broadcaster Buck Martinez’s induction into the club’s new Hall of Excellence on Saturday.

Varland pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to the delight of the 41,512 at Rogers Centre.

Blue Jays outfielder Brett Bateman, right, scores on a wild pitch against the Seattle Mariners in a Major League Baseball game in Toronto on Aug. 29, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jon Blacker

The Blue Jays moved 1 1/2 games behind Cleveland in the race for the final wild-card spot in the American League. The Guardians dropped an 8-3 decision to the Kansas City Royals.

The Mariners jumped out to a 3-0 lead after a first-inning homer from Cal Raleigh, his 19th, and Taylor Ward’s two-out, two-run scoring single in the fourth inning.

The Blue Jays responded with two runs in the fifth inning and two more in the sixth. Two-out singles from Bateman and Kirk off Mariners reliever Jose A. Ferrer (4-3) put the home side in front for good.

Toronto starter Jose Soriano (11-7) went seven innings. His 94-pitch outing yielded three runs on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts.

Mariners rookie lefty Kade Anderson left the game after 4 1/3 innings. He was charged with two runs on three hits and three walks with three strikeouts in 85 pitches.

TAKEAWAYS

Blue Jays: Manager John Schneider announced before the game a rotation of Spencer Arrighetti, Dylan Cease and Soriano for the important three-game series against the Guardians that begins Tuesday in Cleveland.

Mariners: Canadian Josh Naylor of Mississauga, Ont., smacked two singles in four at-bats.

KEY MOMENT  With two out and the bases loaded in the fifth inning, George Springer walked on an Eduard Bazado wild pitch, scoring Myles Straw from third and the speedy Bateman from second to cut Seattle’s lead to 3-2.

KEY STAT  The Blue Jays registered their 31st comeback win in 2026. The Arizona Diamondbacks lead all teams with 41.

UP NEXT Toronto starter Max Scherzer (1-7) will face Mariners righty Logan Gilbert (11-7) in the series finale on Sunday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 29, 2026.