SEATTLE – Jorge Polanco hit a game-ending single in the 15th inning, and the Seattle Mariners advanced to the AL Championship Series by defeating the Detroit Tigers for a 3-2 victory on Friday night in the longest winner-take-all postseason game in baseball history.
With one out and the bases loaded, Polanco drove in JP Crawford with a liner to Tommy Kahnle. Crawford hit a leadoff single, Randy Arozarena was hit by a pitch and Julio Rodríguez was intentionally walked before Polanco’s big swing on the 472nd pitch of an epic Game 5 in a closely contested Division Series.
The Mariners left twelve runners on base and still managed to advance to the ALCS for the first time since 2001. Next up is a matchup with the AL East champion Blue Jays, starting Sunday night in Toronto.
“We never give up. We just keep fighting. It doesn’t matter how many innings we play,” Polanco said. “We just stay ready and wait for the moment. It’s going to come. It was my time.”
Luis Castillo pitched 1 1/3 innings for the win in his first Major League relief appearance. Logan Gilbert, another member of Seattle’s rotation, worked two scoreless innings in his first relief appearance since his college days at Stetson University in 2017.
“It was such a tough night,” Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh said. “Everyone put their other things aside and did everything for the team, including Logan and Luis.”
Detroit squandered a stellar performance from Tarik Skubal, who struck out 13 while pitching six innings of one-run ball. The Tigers went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left 10 on base.
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