The Blue Jays did not just win ALCS Game 3; they regained their long-dominant offensive power. After the losses in Game 1 and Game 2 in Toronto, the Jays got a 13-4 victory that brought the series back to life for them. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. effectively contributed to the revival by delivering four hits and a towering home run. On the other hand, the Mariners, once in control, are now facing a warning.

The revival was the Jays’ reaction to urgency. John Schneider received the warning before Game 3 and reshuffled their lineup. And his most iconic strategy was to move Anthony Santander to cleanup to back Guerrero Jr. With this, the manager unleashed a barrage of early-count swings and hammered the Mariners’ elite star George Kirby before his adjustment.

“Let’s try to have a few less jabs and a few more uppercuts,” John Schneider shared before Game 3, and his statement was taken literally by his team. As a result, they threw offensive haymakers and transformed the ALCS scenario overnight.

Ken Rosenthal from the NY Times analyzed the situation and captured the moment perfectly.

“Every day in the postseason amounts to a fresh start, so it’s hardly certain the Jays will succeed with a similar strategy Thursday against Mariners righty Luis Castillo. The Jays’ starter, righty Max Scherzer, is 41, coming off an injury-marred regular season and will be pitching for the first time since Sept. 24. But then, the matchup of Bieber vs. Kirby seemed to favor the Mariners, didn’t it?”

Rosenthal’s observation highlighted the unpredictability of the ALCS series, in which every game looks like the beginning of another chapter of the prolonged fight.

However, David Popkins, the Jays‘ hitting coach, gave an analogy that brought that imagery to life.

“I always compare hitting to fighting,” Popkins mentioned. “When guys get a little paralyzed in the ring, sometimes the only thing to do is put your head down and start throwing some haymakers.” That is what the Jays have done.

The team launched five home runs, 18 hits, and pounded the rivals’ pitching until the ALCS’s tone transformed. The hitting coach added, “We’ve got a lot of fight,” echoing the team’s defiant energy.

Now, the warning signs for Dan Wilson and his team could not be clearer. With Vladimir Guerrero Jr performing with intense concentration, Scherzer is prepared to play at Game 4, and the Jays swinging without fear in the zone, the series has become an all-out slugfest.

As Ken Rosenthal posted, “Ring the bell to start the next round.” 

John Schneider highlights how the Blue Jays thumped the Mariners’ George Kirby

Heading to Game 3, the Jays had every reason to fear George Kirby, specifically, after he rediscovered his snicker grip late in the season and became a nightmare for hitters by striking out 31 hitters with just 3 earned runs in the final three starts. However, that aura faded in Game 3.

The star’s zone-attacking strategy turned against him, as Schneider‘s team started to square up Kirby’s fastball early. From that point on, it was clear that John Schneider had crafted a strategy to neutralize Kirby’s power.

For the Jays, the formula to pull apart George Kirby did not come with luck. It came with precision and intent. John Schneider highlighted that the team played with a specific narrative: Attack early and with purpose.

“We executed a really good game plan and approach against (Kirby), knowing that he’s going to come right after you,” the skipper explained. “It’s the difference between trying to just put the ball in play and trying to do some damage.” That shift from passive contact to pure aggression was the turning point that flipped the script in Game 3.

Toronto’s hitters stick to the plan flawlessly. The franchise rose again with a five-run explosion in the third inning, driven by Andrés Giménez’s two-run homer and Daulton Varsho’s clutch two-out double. By the fourth, George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had joined the hit parade with uninterrupted long balls, hunting Kirby after just four innings, and earned eight runs.  

After the game, Andrés Giménez framed it perfectly.

“Definitely, something changed for our offense. We came tonight with a mentality to attack.” This renewed aggression changed a flattering lineup into a monster overnight.

From Guerrero Jr.’s four-hit night to Springer’s flaming homer, every swing was a statement of threat. What started as a fight for survival has now converted into a psychological advantage, one that could frighten Seattle in Game 4 as they turn to  Luis Castillo.