Raleigh homers, Polanco drives in 2 runs and Mariners beat Blue Jays 3-1 in ALCS opener

Bryce Miller overcame a shaky first inning and gave the tired Seattle Mariners the start they needed in the AL Championship Series opener.

TORONTO — Bryce Miller overcame a shaky first inning and gave the tired Seattle Mariners the start they needed in the AL Championship Series opener.

Miller pitched six sharp innings, Jorge Polanco hit a go-ahead single in the sixth and the Mariners beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 Sunday night as they returned to the ALCS for the first time in 24 years.

“The year, personally, didn’t go how I had planned and how I had hoped for but we’re in the ALCS and I got to go out there and set the tone,” Miller said. “I felt great.”

Seattle slugger Cal Raleigh added a tying solo home run, his second homer of the postseason after leading the major leagues with 60 in the regular season.

“That was a big lift,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said of Raleigh’s drive in a two-run sixth.