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If you stayed up during the decisive Game 5 between the Seattle Mariners and the Detroit Tigers, it was worth every second.
In a game that lasted about five hours and ended after 1 a.m. ET, the Mariners are headed to their first American League Championship Series in 24 years after a 3-2 victory in a 15-inning marathon.
Both teams were held scoreless from the top of the eighth to the top of the 15th, but the Mariners finally broke through on Jorge Polanco’s bases-loaded single to send them to the American League Championship Series and end the longest winner-take-all game in history.
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Seattle Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco (7) is celebrated by his teammates after a single against the Detroit Tigers during the 15th inning during Game 5 of the American League Division Series at T-Mobile Park. (Steven Bisig/Image Images)
Detroit wasted a stellar performance by Tarik Skubal, who struck out 13 while pitching six innings of one-run ball. The future two-time American League Cy Young Award winner was taken out of the game with a 2-1 lead, and the Tigers bullpen quickly gave up the tying run in the seventh.
It didn’t help that the Tigers went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left 10 on base, with their only two runs coming on Kerry Carpenter’s two-run homer in the sixth. Seattle wasn’t much better, leaving a dozen, but they were the ones who came out ahead.
The phrase “they will all be available in October” was well used. After both starters, George Kirby and Skubal, left the game, three other starting pitchers were used. The Tigers had Jack Flaherty working two innings on two days’ rest, while Logan Gilbert (also two days) and Luis Castillo, the winning pitcher, saw some action.
Seattle Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco hits a single against the Detroit Tigers during the 15th inning of Game 5 of the American League Division Series at T-Mobile Park. (Steven Bisig/Image Images)
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“I know we played a long game, but this team never gave up,” Polanco said. “I know there’s a lot of emotion, but we’re always trying to keep it simple. I’m just trying to go out there and play and try to get the win.”
“Just an unbelievable game from top to bottom,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said.
“It was a really tough night,” Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh said. “Everyone brought their different side and did everything for the team, including Logan and Luis.” It was Gilbert’s first relief start since 2017, when he was at Stetson University.
Detroit’s season officially ended in heartbreak with a hint of what could have been, as this series probably should have taken place in Michigan. The Tigers had a double-digit lead in the American League Central Division in early September, but they blew it. They saved it by defeating the Cleveland Guardians, who hosted the Wild Card Series after beating Detroit in the standings, but that’s how they envisioned returning home.
Detroit Tigers left fielder Riley Greene watches Seattle Mariners players celebrate on the field as he exits after the Tigers’ 3-2, 15-inning loss at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Junfu Han/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
The Mariners will now face the Toronto Blue Jays for the pennant, and an entire generation of fans will see one of these teams in the World Series for the first time. The Blue Jays have not been to the Fall Classic since 1993, while the Mariners have never advanced beyond the American League Championship Series.
The first game is Sunday in Toronto at 8:03 pm ET.
