Mariners outlast Tigers in epic 15-inning Game 5 to reach ALCS

After astir 5 hours of baseball, the Seattle Mariners punched their summons to the American League Championship Series for the archetypal clip since 2001. Jorge Polanco’s azygous successful the bottommost of the 15th inning sealed a 3-2 triumph implicit the Detroit Tigers connected Friday night, capping 1 of the longest and astir melodramatic postseason games successful nine history.

The assemblage of 47,025 astatine T-Mobile Park roared from commencement to finish, witnessing a crippled that featured 15 pitchers, 472 pitches, and endless tension. “An unthinkable triumph for Seattle,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said afterward. “Which means it was an unthinkable nonaccomplishment for us. That was an epic game.”

The crippled swung aboriginal and often. Seattle starter George Kirby exited aft six innings with a 1-0 lead, lone to spot Detroit’s Kerry Carpenter blast a two-run homer moments later. Tigers ace Tarik Skubal was dominant, striking retired 13 successful six innings earlier handing the crippled to the bullpen. His 99th and last transportation — a 101 mph strikeout of Cal Raleigh — was his exclamation point.

Seattle tied it up successful the sixth connected a pinch-hit azygous by Leo Rivas, who happened to beryllium celebrating his 28th birthday. Then came a stalemate that lasted astir 3 hours, with some bullpens delivering nether relentless pressure. Mariners manager Dan Wilson cycled done relievers, adjacent utilizing Logan Gilbert and Luis Castillo — some starters — retired of the bullpen for the archetypal clip successful their careers. “You can’t accidental capable astir what those guys did retired of the bullpen,” Wilson said.

A decorativeness to remember

When Tommy Kahnle took the mound for Detroit successful the 15th, the Mariners were ready. J.P. Crawford led disconnected with a single, and Randy Arozarena was deed by a pitch. After an intentional locomotion to Julio Rodríguez, Polanco stepped in. “I was conscionable looking for a transportation to hit,” helium said. He recovered it — a changeup — and drove it betwixt archetypal and 2nd basal arsenic Crawford sprinted home.

Pandemonium followed. Players poured onto the field, champagne flowed, and the echoes of 1995 — erstwhile Edgar Martínez’s treble sent Ken Griffey Jr. racing location to bushed the Yankees — filled the stadium erstwhile more.

“I couldn’t judge it was over,” said catcher Cal Raleigh, grinning done the noise. Polanco, soaked successful champagne, summed it up simply: “I person truthful overmuch gratitude.”