Bieber aims to get Toronto’s Comeback Kids a road win tonight in Game 3 of ALCS

For more than a century, statistics have been a staple of the game of baseball.

Many of those key numbers currently don’t favour the Toronto Blue Jays as they aim to dig themselves out of a 2-0 hole in the American League Championship Series, starting tonight at T-Mobile Park.

The Mariners, with 3-1 and 10-3 wins in Toronto, are firmly in the driver’s seat with Games 3, 4 and 5, if necessary, in Seattle. The only Major League Baseball team to never play in the World Series feels confident it can end that drought.

“I think it factors in when your backs are up against the wall and there’s only one way out, and that’s to start throwing punches,” Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman said on Tuesday. “I think that’s exactly the type of group that we have in the clubhouse. I’m looking forward to the way that we respond.”

Teams that take a two-game lead in a best-of-seven postseason series have advanced 78 of 93 times. And of the 27 teams that lost the first two games at home in the playoffs with a 2-3-2 format, only three have rallied to win.

The Jays have been outscored 13-4, outhit 17-8 and have not scored past the second inning in the first two games. The Mariners have more homers (4-1) and Blue Jay sluggers Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Addison Barger, Daulton Varsho and Andres Gimenez haven’t registered a hit in the ALCS.

But the Blue Jays, who were the Comeback Kids this season with 49 come-from-behind victories in earning the AL’s top seed, insist the ALCS is far from over.

“We have a lot of older veteran guys that are blessed enough they’ve made enough money in the game where worrying about the contract, arbitration, individual numbers doesn’t really matter at all — all they care about is how to win games,” starter Chris Bassitt said. “And then all the younger guys, they bought in where it was like, listen, the game is going to take care of itself, don’t worry about your numbers, play the game the right way and your numbers are going to be there. The closer you can be where you care about the team more than yourself, the closer you’ll be.”

Right-hander Shane Bieber, whom the Jays acquired in a July trade with the Cleveland Guardians to enhance their playoff fortunes, will be on the mound for Toronto tonight. The Mariners will counter with right-hander George Kirby. First pitch is scheduled for 8:08 ET.

With files from Sportsnet