ALCS: Five pressing questions for the Mariners heading into Game 7

TORONTO — Standing in front of his locker late Sunday, Julio Rodríguez flipped on the BAPE designer coat he got while hanging out with Ichiro in Japan last winter, then pulled a pair of black sunglasses over his forehead.

And then the Mariners star center fielder let out a guttural yell, causing the 30-some media members cramped inside the Rogers Centre visitors’ clubhouse to pause and stare in his direction.

“That’s a good yell,” Rodríguez quickly clarified to the room.

It could just as easily have been a different kind of tone inside the clubhouse after the Mariners’ dispiriting 6-2 loss to the Blue Jays in Game 6 of the AL Championship Series.

Instead, Rodríguez echoed the sentiments of other teammates as they tried to quickly turn the page and look ahead to Monday’s Game 7, a second chance for the Mariners to reach their first World Series.

“I just can’t imagine the energy and the passion that they’re going to bring you,” Rodríguez said. “I’m excited. I feel like everybody’s going to be really excited for tomorrow.”

Monday will mark the first Game 7 in Mariners history and their fourth winner-take-all game. They won all three ALDS Game 5 victories in 1995, 2001 and 2025.

Here are five key questions for the Mariners going into Game 7:

What do they have left?

Monday will be the Mariners’ 174th game of the season, the most in any season in franchise history.

They’ve also had five cross-country flights in the past two weeks — covering a little more than 10,000 miles — and it’s only natural to wonder if some weariness contributed to a sloppy performance Sunday night, during which the Mariners committed a season-high three errors and hit into three ground-ball double plays.

“You’ve got to play clean baseball,” catcher Cal Raleigh said. “You can’t give up extra outs, especially to a team like (Toronto). They’re good and they took advantage of it.”

Veteran shortstop J.P. Crawford was among the players steadfast in how the team would respond Monday.

“We have a group of dogs that fight till the very end, and we don’t give up,” Crawford said. “So it’s going to be a dog fight tomorrow. Everyone knows that.”

AL championship series Mariners 3, Blue Jays 3

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What can they expect from George Kirby?

In a Game 3 rematch, Kirby will start Game 7 for the Mariners opposite Shane Bieber for the Blue Jays.

Both figure to have a short leash, and both bullpens could factor into things early on Monday night.

Coming in to the series, the Mariners mapped out their pitching plan to have Kirby lined up for a potential Game 7.

Kirby was hit around for eight earned runs in four innings in Game 3. Perhaps he can summon some of the old-time magic from his playoff debut in Toronto in 2022, when he earned the save to close out the Mariners’ Wild Card Series victory.

“Big-time players show up in big-time games,” Raleigh said. “It won’t just be George, obviously; it’s going to be everybody tomorrow — everybody showing up and doing their job, just like we do every day and we’ve done all playoffs.

“I’m really excited to get after it and get locked in tomorrow with him and hopefully he’s going out there with the stuff we know he has.”

What to expect from Bieber?

After the Mariners won the first two games in Toronto, Bieber helped the Blue Jays get back in the series with a strong Game 3 performance, striking out eight over six innings at T-Mobile Park.

Bieber, the 2020 AL Cy Young winner, got 17 swings-and-misses on his 88 pitches last Wednesday, seven of which came on the 12 swings with his slider.

Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor knows Bieber well from their days together in Cleveland.

“He’s a very good competitor; he’s an awesome teammate; he’s a great friend,” Naylor said. “I know he’s going to prepare awesome, so I’m excited to see it.”

How the heck do they slow down Vladdy?

In 39 at-bats this postseason, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has six home runs, 12 RBI and a 1.532 OPS.

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In the ALCS against the Mariners, Guerrero is 9 for 18 with three homers and six walks (three intentional). He hit a no-doubter out to left off Logan Gilbert in Game 6.

“Yeah, I mean, he’s a good hitter,” M’s manager Dan Wilson said late Sunday. “You have to find a way to not let him beat you in some way. He was able to swing it again tonight. He got a home run to expand the lead a little bit. He’s a tough hitter. He’s someone that you have to take note of and that’s for us to do going forward.”

Guerrero has hardly been the Mariners’ only problem.

In the Blue Jays’ three wins in the ALCS, the bottom of the Toronto lineup is 23 for 54 (.426) with five doubles, five homers and 18 RBI.

Can they get the ball to Andrés Muñoz?

The Mariners closer has been nearly flawless this postseason, throwing 7.1 scoreless innings with five strikeouts and two walks.

He has not allowed a hit in his six appearances.

Muñoz made four appearances against Detroit in the ALDS, but he’s pitched just two times in this ALCS.

He did not pitch in Game 6, which means he could be available for up to two innings in Game 7.

If the Mariners can get the ball to him in a close game Monday, they should like their chances.