🔗 Share this article

Through a gripping extra-inning clash, Jorge Polanco delivered the winning run with a single to right field, sealing a 3-2 win for the home team over the Detroit Tigers in Game 5 of the ALDS.

Key Moments in the Extended Game

The Mariners pitcher, making his first relief appearance in the major leagues, pitched over an inning to secure the win, sending his team to the ALCS for the first time in over two decades.

Seattle will now face the Blue Jays for the championship in a showdown between 1977 expansion counterparts. The series opener is scheduled for Sunday in Toronto.

15th Inning Game-Winning Sequence

• JP Crawford started the final half of the last inning with a line-drive single to right field.
• Another batter was hit by a pitch, placing runners on first and second.
• After Cal Raleigh flied out, a fielding mistake by the center fielder allowed Crawford to advance.
• Following an strategic base on balls, the batter connected on a 3-2 pitch to conclude the contest.

Scoring Highlights and Defensive Efforts

A Tigers hitter provided all of the visitors' offense with a home run in the sixth inning.

The Mariners evened the score at 2-2 in the later inning on a substitute batter's run-scoring hit.

Each squad threatened multiple times in extra innings, with the home team hitting into inning-ending double plays in both the 12th and 13th.

Opening Hurlers Duel

The Tigers' ace and George Kirby delivered a low-scoring battle in the early innings.

The left-hander, a pitching honor favorite, gave up a single score on a couple of hits with no walks and 13 strikeouts over multiple frames. He set a postseason record with back-to-back K's.

His sole allowed score occurred in the early going, when a double, theft, and deep out scored a run for the home side.

Kirby began with five scoreless innings before allowing a early hit in the middle inning. After a bullpen move, Carpenter went deep on a pitch to give Detroit the lead.

The starter went five-plus innings and was responsible for a single score on three hits with zero free passes and several K's.

The win marks a significant milestone for the Seattle franchise, who advance to battle for a spot in the championship after a long postseason absence.