Great post.
Dan Wilson used the same strategy that got him to the ALCS and I think he believes it was the right call. Failure to recognize "this the game" moment and call an audible to deviate from the plan led to the Mariners demise. This is why playoff baseball is different. You can utilize strategy all season long to get across the finish line at the end of the season but it is the tactics employed in a short series that ends in success. If a team/manager fails to adapt and employ those tactics well then you have the Blue Jays playoff failures of the 2020's before this season. Perhaps John Schneider and the Blue Jays have figured that part out.