Who will win the American League Championship Series between the Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays?

The ALCS between the Mariners and Blue Jays carries some added historical import since the two teams both joined MLB in 1977.

However, Blue Jays players who still remain from the 2022 team have long memories and only care about their postseason history against the Mariners.

The only previous playoff series between the two expansion cousins took place in 2022, when Seattle swept Toronto in two games in the best-of-three wild card series, and made an epic comeback from an 8-1 run deficit to capture a 10-9 win in Game 2.

That crushing loss was part of the 0-6 playoff record the Jays carried during the Vladimir Guerrero Jr. era, before Toronto broke out with a dominant win over the Yankees in this year's ALDS.

Blue Jays hitters erupted for 34 runs and a collective .338/.373/.601 slash line over the four games against New York.

While that level of an explosion came as a surprise, Toronto led the league in both batting average and OBP this season, while also finishing near the top of the table in runs and OPS.

Seattle's season-long numbers weren't quite as impressive, yet the club has been one of baseball's best offensive teams since Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suarez were acquired at the trade deadline.

Led by these three big bats, Julio Rodriguez, Jorge Polanco, and the all-around brilliance of MVP candidate Cal Raleigh, the Mariners' powerful lineup will provide the Jays' pitching staff with a huge challenge.

In terms of run prevention, the Blue Jays have a significant edge on defense. Toronto had a collective +51 Defensive Runs Saves and +14 Outs Above Average in the regular season, in comparison to Seattle's +9 DRS and -30 OAA.

This could potentially help the Jays counter the Mariners' deeper rotation, as with Bryan Woo expected to return from injury in the ALCS, all five of the M's regular starters will be available in some capacity.

How exactly those starters will be deployed is still a matter of debate, as George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, and Luis Castillo all had to pitch during Seattle's 15-inning marathon with the Tigers in Game 5 of the ALDS.

The Blue Jays held a 4-2 edge in the season series with the Mariners this year, and have the homefield advantage as the AL's top seed.

That is a significant point for a Jays team that is 56-27 at Rogers Centre during the regular season and playoffs, plus the Mariners' road record is only 40-43.

Game 1 of the ALCS between the Mariners and Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre starts at 8:08 PM ET on Sportsnet and Fox.