Mariners can almost taste the World Series after showing up Blue Jays in their yard

It's common knowledge that the Seattle Mariners have never been to the World Series. It's less common knowledge that they have struggled to even come close. Before Monday, they had never held a two-game lead in a Championship Series.

Those days are over, as the Mariners now have a 2-0 lead on the Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series after marching into Toronto and mercilessly pantsing the home team.

Game 2 was the romp that Mariners fans had been begging for after witnessing nail-biter after nail-biter throughout the ALDS and in the first game of the ALCS. The Mariners got three multi-run home runs, including a three-run shot by — who else? — Jorge Polanco that broke the game open in the fifth inning. Final score: Mariners 10, Blue Jays 3.

On the radio, Aaron Goldsmith even dropped a "Mr. October" on Polanco. Reggie Jackson die-hards might consider those fighting words, but the shoe fits. Between Game 5 of the ALDS, Game 1 of the ALCS and now Game 2 of the ALCS, this is now three straight games that Polanco has given the Mariners a lead that they haven't given back.

The Mariners are on the doorstep of the World Series after pushing the Blue Jays around in their own backyard

Whether the Mariners' 2-0 lead on Toronto is surprising depends on who you ask. But coming into the series, more people were drinking the Blue Jays' Kool-Aid. Notably, Alex Rodriguez (of all people) was the only FOX analyst to pick the Mariners to win the ALCS.

Even we could see the logic. The Mariners had gotten everything they could handle from the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS, particularly in a 15-inning Game 5 that put Seattle fans through five hours of agony before pure joy arrived on Polanco's game-winning hit. It was quite the contrast from the Blue Jays' dominant ALDS win over the New York Yankees.

With Bryce Miller and his 5.68 ERA on the mound opposite Kevin Gausman, the last thing anyone expected was the Mariners two-hitting the Blue Jays to take Game 1. The real Blue Jays showed up to harass Logan Gilbert in the first three innings of Game 2, but then Seattle's bullpen took over and, like a high school bully, shoved the Blue Jays back into their locker. After getting five hits in the first two innings, Toronto hitters got one over the next seven.

The capacity crowd at the Rogers Centre had a collective thousand-yard stare by the end of Game 2, and who can blame them? An offense this good being held to three runs in 18 innings is mindboggling, and even Blue Jays manager John Schneider seems to be short-circuiting.

In Game 2, he issued one of the most pointless challenges you're ever going to see, and he set Polanco up for his three-run shot by granting Cal Raleigh an open base with nobody out and Randy Arozarena on second. It's nice that Schneider has learned to respect "Big Dumper" after his 60-homer season, but he deserved to pay for disrespecting Julio and Polanco. The latter made sure he did after Julio — who got things started with a three-run homer in the first — struck out.

There should be a lingering suspicion in the Pacific Northwest that beating the Blue Jays can't possibly be this easy. They are the No. 1 seed in the American League, after all, and the last thing the Mariners want is for this series to return to Toronto for Games 6 and 7. They'll need to hold serve at T-Mobile Park in Game 3, Game 4 and, if necessary, Game 5.

The vibes, though, are obviously good. And so is the history. As noted by Tim Booth of the Seattle Times, the 93 instances of a team taking a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven series resulted in 78 victories for that team. No team has lost the first two games of a best-of-seven at home and come back to win since the Yankees in the 1996 World Series.

It can't be stressed strongly enough that the Mariners are not in the promised land yet. Yet there is a difference between taking something for granted and having faith. Provided you're on their side, the Mariners have earned as much faith as you can give them.