Raleigh rallies the Mariners in the 10th inning

The Big Dumper would not be stopped. A game that was dominated by masterful pitching couldn’t be resolved in regulation and an extra innings gave Seattle’s resident Blue Jays killer the chance to play hero.

Cal Raleigh came into this series with a 1.305 career OPS at Rogers Centre, the highest of any active player, but he wasn’t able to solve Jays starter Yusei Kikuchi, who allowed just three hits in six innings but left trailing 1-0. The left-hander struck out nine, including Raleigh, who he also popped up.

The Blue Jays had a chance to win it late, loading the bases with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning, but Ernie Clement’s little looper to shallow centre was hauled in by second baseman Jorge Polanco, sprinting into the outfield, giving the 22,960 patrons some free baseball that they weren’t especially thrilled by.

Raleigh, whose Big Dumper nickname is well-earned by right of his rather prolific posterior, started the top of the 10th by taking Tim Mayza’s first pitch 376 feet to right-centre for a leadoff two-run homer to break the tie.

It was the switch-hitter’s seventh career home run at Rogers Centre; he has no more than four in any other road ballpark.

“Maybe he’s part-Canadian,” Jays manager John Schneider said after the game.

“Tip your hat to him. He likes hitting here, he likes hitting against us … He’s got our number, we’ve got to make some adjustments.”

Mayza, whose early-season ERA ballooned to 12.46, issued a pair of one-out walks and gave way to Mitch White, who allowed three more runs to cross.

The Jays’ offence sputtered for six innings, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. led off the seventh with a mammoth home run to left field.

The 459-foot blast was a welcome sight. Guerrero didn’t go deep at home last year until June 23.

Guerrero had a chance to be the hero an inning later, when the Jays put two runners on with two out, but he flied to centre against the Mariners’ Andres Munoz.