Mariners Survive 15-Inning Thriller To Advance To The ALCS
For the first time in 24 years, the Seattle Mariners are heading to the ALCS, outlasting the Detroit Tigers in a game we will never forget.
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It only took 21 years, but the Seattle Mariners are finally heading to the American League Championship Series.
Although it took more games and pitchers than they would have preferred, they got the job done in a 15-inning, winner-take-all Game 5 that kept the entire baseball world on the edge of their seats.
The Tigers put up a good fight but couldn’t quite hold off the AL West champions. Both teams combined to give Major League Baseball and its fans one of the best playoff series we’ve seen in recent memory. From pitching dominance to clutch swings of the bat, this series really had it all.
Let’s take a look at who helped the Mariners get to this point and what’s next for the gritty group from Seattle.
Cal Raleigh and Co. Continue Their Regular Season Dominance
It’s no secret that Cal Raleigh’s 2025 is one of the most impressive seasons we’ve seen this century. As a catcher, he posted a 161 wRC+, 9.1 fWAR, and launched 60 home runs, only two behind Aaron Judge’s American League record of 62.
Fast-forward to October, and nothing has changed for the surefire MVP candidate.
While his Game 5 was slightly underwhelming, with one lone hit in seven plate appearances, he went into the finale with some absurd numbers.
Before the first pitch on Friday evening, Raleigh held a 239 wRC+ with a .438/.500/.688 slash line and one home run through the first four games of the series.
Raleigh wasn’t the lone offensive star of the series, though. He got some nice support from guys like J.P. Crawford and Jorge Polanco the majority of the five games.
The latter, specifically, had some of the biggest moments in the history of the Mariners, with a multi-home run game off of Tarik Skubal earlier in the series and the game-winning walk-off single in Game 5.
This Staff Can Win a World Series
We can’t discuss this series for Seattle without bringing up the dominance of this staff.
The team went into 2025 knowing that they had one of the most talented and deepest pitching staffs in baseball, and this series proved that. Even with a guy like Bryan Woo on the shelf, they put together some impressive outings.
Outside of Bryce Miller, the rotation put together dominant performances in virtually every game of the series.
In Game 5 alone, they had to use three starters just to get by.
George Kirby (who actually started), Logan Gilbert, and Luis Castillo combined for 8 1/3 innings pitched with one earned run, nine strikeouts, six hits, and one lone walk.
While they may be scrambling for pitching to start the ALCS, you have to get into the next round before you start thinking about how to attack it.
The bullpen was another group that stepped up when the lights got bright. Andrés Muñoz took his dominance from the regular season and brought it straight into October with an otherworldly series. He threw 5 1/3 innings without surrendering a single hit and striking out five.
While their overall numbers for the series aren’t as absurd as Muñoz’s, Eduard Bazardo and Matt Brash had several clutch outings that helped get this staff through the ALDS.
Whether you look at the starting staff or the boys in the bullpen, this group has talent all around. Just like they thought when they arrived in Arizona for Spring Training, this pitching staff is absolutely good enough to win Seattle their first World Series.
A Fascinating Finale
How often do we get to see a 14th-inning stretch in a Major League Baseball game? Well, with the Manfred ghost runner, virtually never. However, in Game 5 in this electric ALDS, we indeed did.
Tarik Skubal opened the night with one of the best postseason outings we’ve seen this decade. Whether you want to turn to the most strikeouts in MLB history through a pitcher’s first three starts of a postseason or the most strikeouts in a winner-take-all game, the probable Cy Young winner decided to break a few records on his biggest stage of the year, striking out 13.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to will his team to a win, as after nine innings this one was all tied up at two. From then on, it was some of the most exciting baseball in recent memory.
From several inning-ending double plays to runners getting hosed on the bases, this game’s extra innings had it all.
However, it eventually came to an end in the bottom of the 15th inning as Jorge Polanco hit a walk-off single to erupt a Seattle fanbase into celebration, all while crushing the dreams of an entire city in Detroit all at the same time.
Who’s Next?
The Mariners will now have to cross the border and get past the Toronto Blue Jays to get to the World Series. They’ll have their hands full with the Blue Jays on extra rest and having to throw three starters in the ALDS’ finale just to get to this series.
However, you can’t count the Mariners out. With a catcher who could win the American League MVP in Cal Raleigh, one of the most exciting players in baseball in Julio Rodriguez, and arguably the best staff from top to bottom in baseball, these guys can hang with anybody.
With Vlademir Guerrero Jr. showcasing his star power and Trey Yesavage and Kevin Gausman mowing down lineups, this series has all the ingredients to go seven games.
The question is, who can outlast the other and give themselves the opportunity to add some hefty hardware to their organization’s trophy case?
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Michael Monreal got his start in baseball media when he started his own website covering the San Francisco Giants after playing two years of college baseball.…