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If you stayed awake during the deciding Game 5 between the Seattle Mariners and 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 went scoreless from the top of the eighth to the end of the 15th, but the Mariners finally broke through with Jorge Polanco’s bases-loaded single to send them to the ALCS and end the longest winner-take-all game in history.
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Seattle Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco (7) is celebrated by teammates after a single against the Detroit Tigers in the 15th inning during Game 5 of the American League Division Series at T-Mobile Park. (Steven Bisig/Imagn Images)
Detroit wasted a stellar performance from Tarik Skubal, who struck out 13 while pitching six one-run innings. The future two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner was knocked out of the game with a 2-1 lead, and the Tigers’ bullpen quickly allowed the tie in the seventh.
It didn’t help matters that the Tigers went 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position and left 10 on base, their only two runs coming on a two-run homer by Kerry Carpenter in the sixth. Seattle wasn’t much better, there were a dozen left, but they were the ones who escaped.
The phrase “everyone is available in October” was well used. After both starters, George Kirby and Skubal, left the game, three more starting pitchers were used. The Tigers had Jack Flaherty go two innings on two days rest, while Logan Gilbert (also two days) and Luis Castillo, the winning pitcher, got 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/Imagn 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 always try to keep it simple. I just try to go play and try to win.”
“Just an incredible game from top to bottom,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said.
“It was a really tough night,” Seattle wide receiver Cal Raleigh said. “Everyone put their other stuff aside and did everything for the team, including Logan and Luis.” This was Gilbert’s first relief outing since 2017, when he was at Stetson University.
Detroit’s season officially ended in heartbreak with a touch of what could have been, since this series probably should have taken place in Michigan. The Tigers held a double-digit lead in the AL Central in early September, but squandered it. They got that back by beating the Cleveland Guardians, who hosted the Wild Card Series after overtaking Detroit in the standings, but that’s certainly now how they envisioned going home.
Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene watches Seattle Mariners players celebrate on the field as he walks out following the Tigers’ 3-2 loss in 15 innings 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 haven’t appeared in the Fall Classic since 1993, while the Mariners have never advanced past the ALCS.
The first game is Sunday in Toronto at 8:03 p.m. ET.
