The American League Championship Series is finally upon us (yes, Friday’s Game 5 of the ALDS is actually over), and it will be a special series regardless of whether the Toronto Blue Jays or Seattle Mariners prove victorious. One team will have a chance to end a World Series drought that stretches back to 1993; the other will be looking to make its first-ever appearance in the Fall Classic.

It should be a terrific matchup and new team legends are soon to be minted. Our staff has made its picks for who will take home the American League pennant. After correctly picking the Mariners but missing badly on the Blue Jays, let’s see what our MLB experts predict for the ALCS …

Staff predictions for the ALCS

Our experts are pretty divided on which team will take home the AL crown. Several of our experts are skeptical that Seattle’s pitching can recover from their 15-inning, Game 5 ALDS marathon in time to overcome Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Blue Jays’ potent lineup, while others see the Mariners as a team of destiny. Below are thoughts from some of our experts who cast their votes.

There is little that separates these two clubs. (Steven Bisig / Imagn Images)

Jayson Stark (TOR): What did we learn in the last round? The Blue Jays can hit good pitching! They came to bat in 34 innings against the Yankees and scored 34 runs. What’s the Mariners’ biggest strength? Pitching. And now they’ve burned through four starters in two games just to get here. So this is perfectly set up for the Jays, a team that swept the Mariners in Seattle this year and always has a big fan contingent when they play in Seattle. They just have that look right now, even though I think that on paper, the Mariners might have the best roster in the AL, top to bottom. Blue Jays in six.

Eno Sarris (SEA): The Mariners have more power and better pitching than the Blue Jays encountered in their first matchup. Teams that out-homer their opponents win more often than teams that strike out less than their opponents in the postseason. Of course, the Mariners pitchers and power hitters have to come through, but that’s true in every series. This could be the year the Mariners finally make the big dance.

Chandler Rome (TOR): Seattle just played the sort of game that can leave a pitching staff in disarray for days, meaning the onus is on a Mariners offense that didn’t do much in the ALDS. Julio Rodríguez, Randy Arozarena and Eugenio Suárez combined to strike out 26 times in five games against the Tigers. Toronto is rested and already tore through a pretty good Yankees pitching staff. This will come down to lineups. The Blue Jays have a better-performing one.

Chad Jennings (SEA): I’m trying not to overthink it based on what we just saw in a short series. A week ago, I might have said Mariners in five. Now, it feels more like Mariners in seven. Even depleted by that marathon Game 5, I still think Seattle has the pitching depth to get past the Blue Jays and into the World Series, and I suspect their offense is going to show up beyond what they’ve shown so far. So, I’m still thinking Mariners (but after what we just saw Division Series, it’s awfully tempting to pick the team with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Trey Yesavage).

Ian O’Connor (TOR): As they proved against the Yankees, they can beat you with Vlad or they can Ernie Clement-you to death. Home-field advantage and Trey Yesavage will be difference makers.

Katie Woo (SEA): It’s hard to root against playoff Vladdy and the Blue Jays, given how dominant Toronto has looked, and the Mariners will again have to get crafty with their pitching. But there’s something special about this once-in-a-generation Seattle team, one that could see a huge boost if Bryan Woo is deemed healthy. Give the people what they want: seven games, please.

Andy McCullough (TOR): Toronto played excellent baseball against the Yankees, and the Mariners exhausted their pitching staff in the Game 5 marathon against the Tigers.

C. Trent Rosecrans (SEA): In the end, it’s always the pitching, right? I’m going with the team with the better pitching and the best offensive player.

Will Sammon (TOR): Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is on the Blue Jays. Also, Toronto’s offensive identity (lots of contact) poses a major concern for the Mariners’ defense.

Maria Torres (SEA): The Blue Jays may have rocked the Yankees, but the Mariners showed remarkable resilience in the ALDS and have carried strong pitching into the playoffs. To borrow a cliche, the M’s feel like the team of destiny. They’re trying to make good on Cal Raleigh’s edict to “win the whole f—ing thing.”

Ken Rosenthal (TOR): They are rested and on a roll. And I fear the Mariners’ pitching will be on fumes, at least early on.

Sahadev Sharma (SEA): The obvious assumption is they’ll be short for Game 1, but I still believe their pitching will carry them to the World Series.

Johnny Flores Jr. (TOR): Strikeouts are never a good thing, but they’re especially bad in the postseason when every out feels extremely magnified. Of the eight teams to have competed in the Division Series, the Mariners led the way with a whopping 58 strikeouts. The Blue Jays had just 24.

Mitch Bannon (TOR): The Mariners have the starting pitching to make this series particularly close, but a 15-inning Game 5 threw that into chaos. If the Jays can take advantage of a tired Seattle squad in the first two games of this contest, their grip on the series could be hard to overcome. The Mariners are also one of the worst defensive teams in baseball and could be particularly prone to the Jays’ high-contact attack.