Roger Clemens’ pitching and a big 6th inning lead the Toronto Blue Jays past the Yomiuri Giants in their Opening Round matchup in the Baseball Maelstrom Triple Elimination Tournament. Clemens walked 5, but allowed just 4 hits while striking out 9 in 8 innings of work. Hideo Fujimoto kept the Giants in it until the 6th, when he allowed 5 straight hits, capped by back-to-back home runs from Tony Fernandez and Roberto Alomar. With the 7-2 win, the Blue Jays will advance to face the Seattle Mariners in the Winner’s Bracket. John Olerud was 3 for 4 with a homer and 2 runs to lead the Toronto offense.

Yomiuri @ Toronto – 10/1/23

That’s why they play the games. The 16th-seed Seattle Mariners refused to be intimidated by the top-ranked New York Yankees, taking down the #1 seed 6-5 in 10 innings. Félix Hernández overcame a shaky start, allowing 4 runs in the first two innings before retiring 14 straight. Yankees starter Spud Chandler might have been left in one inning too long as he allowed a go-ahead 2-run shot to Ken Griffey Jr. in the 8th that put Seattle up 5-4. A clutch 2-out RBI single by Derek Jeter sent the game to extra innings. But Goose Gossage allowed a 2-out solo shot to Bret Boone in the 10th that gave back the lead to the Mariners. It was Boone’s 2nd home run of the game. The Yankees threatened in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases with no outs against Bill Swift. But Swift struck out Tony Lazzeri and Charlie Keller before Yogi Berra flew out to end the game. The Yankees will play in the loser’s bracket tomorrow, while Seattle will try to ride the high again in the winner’s bracket.

Seattle @ New York – 10/1/23