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If you didn't go to bed until the decisive fifth game between Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigersit was worth every second.
In a game that lasted approximately five hours and ended after 1 a.m. ET, the Mariners head to their first American League Championship Series. after 24 years after winning 3–2 in a 15-inning marathon.
Both teams remained scoreless from the top of the eighth until the top of the 15th, but the Mariners finally got it going on a bases-loaded single by Jorge Polanco, sending them to the ALCS and ending the longest winner-take-all game in history.
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Seattle Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco (7) is celebrated by teammates after hitting a single against the Detroit Tigers during the 15th inning during Game 5 of the American League Division Series at T-Mobile Park. (Stephen Bisig/Imagn Imaginages)
Detroit missed out on a stellar performance Pull Skubalwho struck out 13 while pitching six innings of one-run ball. The future two-time AL Cy Young Award winner was taken out of the game with the score 2-1, and the Tigers' bullpen quickly allowed the game to tie the game 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 home run in the sixth. Seattle was hardly better, leaving a dozen participants, but they were the ones who pulled it off.
The phrase “all available in October” was well used. After both starters, George Kirby and Skubal, left the game, three more starting pitchers were used. The Tigers got Jack Flaherty to pitch two innings on two days' rest, while Logan Gilbert (also two days) and winning pitcher Luis Castillo got 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. (Stephen Bisig/Imagn Imaginages)
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“I know we played for a long time, but this team never gave up,” Polanco said. “I know there's a lot of emotion involved, but we always try to keep it simple. “I’m just trying to go out there and play and try to get a win.”
“Just incredible ball play from top to bottom,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said.
“It was such a tough night,” Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh said. “Everyone did their best and did everything for the team, including Logan and Luis.” This was Gilbert's first relief trip since 2017, when he was a student at Stetson University.
The season in Detroit officially ended on a heartbreak with a hint of what could have been since this episode was probably supposed to take place in Michigan. The Tigers held a double-digit lead in the AL Central in early September but blew it. They salvaged it by beating the Cleveland Guardians, who were hosting the Wild Card Series after overtaking Detroit in the standings, but this was definitely how they envisioned homecoming now.
Detroit Tigers left fielder Riley Green watches Seattle Mariners players celebrate on the field as he leaves after the Tigers lost 3-2 in 15 innings at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Jongfu Han/USA TODAY Network via Images imagine)
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The sailors now have to face Toronto Blue Jays for the pennant, and an entire generation of fans would see one of these teams in the World Series for the first time. The Blue Jays haven't been to the Fall Classic since 1993, and the Mariners have never advanced past the ALCS.
Game 1 is Sunday in Toronto at 8:03 pm ET.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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