October 10, 2025 – Seattle, WA – Powered by walk-off heroics from second baseman Jorge Polanco in the bottom of the 15th inning, the Seattle Mariners defeated the Detroit Tigers 3-2 in Game 5 of the 2025 American League Divisional Series (ALDS), taking the series 3-2 during the longest winner-take-all postseason game in Major League Baseball (MLB) history.
After the teams exchanged zeroes in the first inning, the Mariners took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second frame courtesy of first baseman Josh Naylor and designated hitter Mitch Garver. Facing a two-strike count and one out, Naylor sawed an opposite-field double down the left field line and later stole third base to place pressure on Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal. Breaking the scoreless tie was Garver, whose sacrifice fly to center field allowed Naylor to hustle home.
Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby fueled the crowd at T-Mobile Park in Seattle with a strong outing, hurling five innings before handing the ball over to left-hander Gabe Speier. The 27-year-old right hander allowed only three hits, striking out six while walking none while being charged with one earned run.
Defensively, catcher Cal Raleigh provided the Mariners a key play in the top of the fourth, supporting Kirby’s efforts. With two outs, Tigers designated hitter Colt Keith attempted to steal second base, initially being ruled safe after sliding feet-first into second base. However, upon a challenge initiated by Seattle manager Dan Wilson, the original safe call was overturned to out, effectively ending the inning as shortstop J.P. Crawford successfully applied a tag to Keith before he reached the bag.
With Javier Báez on first base two frames later, Speier faced Tigers leadoff hitter and right fielder Kerry Carpenter to begin his outing. Holding a 1-0 count and no outs, Carpenter smashed a two-run home run to center field, giving Detroit a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth inning. Carpenter’s home run was his third of the series and second in as many games.
Skubal departed after six innings of work, striking out 13 Mariners while allowing two hits. He also walked none in his one-run performance. Still trailing by a run in the bottom of the seventh, the Mariners rallied to tie the game thanks to heroics provided by an unexpected hero: Leo Rivas.
Beginning the Mariners’ rally was Polanco, who drew a one-out walk. Following a strikeout, Naylor knocked a two-out single to right field off of Tigers righty Kyle Finnegan, placing two runners on the basepaths to bring up Garver. Wilson called for Dominic Canzone, a lefty-swinging outfielder, to pinch hit, but Tigers manager A.J. Hinch made a call to his bullpen for left-hander Tyler Holton.
Not looking to create a lefty-on-lefty matchup, Wilson called for yet another pinch hitter — this time the switch-hitting Rivas — to take over for Canzone. Facing an 0-1 count, Rivas drilled a line drive single to left field, allowing Polanco to scramble home and score the tying run. The pinch-hit, game-tying single was a perfect gift not only for the Mariners as a team but also for Rivas himself, who was celebrating his 28th birthday.
Holding the Tigers offense at-bay in the late innings were righty Matt Brash, who tossed two scoreless innings, and flamethrowing right-hander Andrés Muñoz, who collected four scoreless outs to send the Mariners to a walk-off situation. Tied 2-2, Naylor collected a two-out single, the Tigers escaped the jam as Will Vest struck out Rivas looking to send the game to extra innings.
Pitching in relief for the first time in his MLB career, Logan Gilbert held Detroit scoreless across two innings and Eduard Bazardo added another 2.2 shutout frames to send the Mariners to multiple walk-off opportunities. Piggybacking Gilbert and Bazardo, Luis Castillo collected four scoreless outs to send the game to the bottom of the 15th inning, still tied 2-2.
Leading off, Crawford lined a single and outfielder Randy Arozarena was hit by a pitch to place two runners on base and zero outs. One batter later, Raleigh flew out to center field, allowing both runners to advance, and outfielder Julio Rodríguez was intentionally walked to force the possibility of an out at any base.
With the bases loaded facing a full count, Polanco delivered the game-deciding swing, lining a walk-off RBI single to right field to provide the Mariners a 3-2 victory in 15 innings. Crawford scored the winning run, crossing home plate to send Seattle to their first ALCS appearance since 2001. The 15-inning game surpasses the 13-inning game played between the Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs during the 2018 National League Wild Card game as the longest in MLB playoff history.
With their ALDS victory, the Mariners will face the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2025 American League Championship Series (ALCS). The ALCS is a seven-game series and Game One is scheduled for Sunday, October 12, at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
First pitch is scheduled for 5:03 PM PST. Led by slugging first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the Blue Jays amassed a 94-68 regular season record and this postseason, they defeated the New York Yankees in the 2025 ALDS in four games after receiving a first-round playoff bye.
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