After 15 innings, and the city of Seattle holding it’s breath for each and every one, the Seattle Mariners were finally able to secure the win and advance to the ALCS for the first time sine 2001. An emotional T-Mobile Park packed with 47,025 baseball fans erupted in celebration and deafening noise.
Alongside the win, the game was riddled with memorable moments. An impressive and unprecedented pitching game combined with a birthday left fans on the edge of their seats in anticipation of a win, one the Mariners eventually delivered.
Game 5
After 15 innings lasting nearly 5 hours, the Mariners secured the win over the Tigers. With no change in the extra innings, a scoreboard of 2-2 loomed until Jorge Polanco sent a walk-off single through the right hole with bases loaded and J.P. Crawford was able to take home plate and the win needed.
At the bottom of the 15th, Tommy Kahnle came in to pitch for Detroit. J.P. Crawford got on base. Following Crawford, Randy Arozarena was at bat, who suffered a hit for the walk. Up next, catcher Cal Raleigh, who hit a deep fly and allowed Crawford to take third and Arozarena to find second. Then, an intentional walk came for Julio Rodriguez, and Polanco was up to bat. Polanco did what he needed to do, and fans and players alike were glad to finally see the end.
Mariners pitcher George Kirby joked that it felt as though the game lasted 3 days. He also mentioned his own pains, stating,”From the eighth inning on, I had a massive headache. I am glad that game is over.”
Despite their loss, the Tigers put up an impressive fight throughout all 5 games. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said, “An incredible win for Seattle, which means it was an incredible loss for us. That was an epic game.”
Memorable Moments
Game 5 was riddled with memorable moments for both the Seattle Mariners and the Detroit Tigers. One included a pinch-hit in the midst of a birthday. Leo Rivas celebrated his 28th birthday as he got to the plate at T-Mobile park. In the seventh inning, Rivas was able to tie the game up with a left-field RBI single, what better gift than to advance to the ALCS, partially thanks to his own clutch performance.
Also incredible, Tarik Skubal. The Detroit pitcher set two postseason strikeout records last night in Seattle. He struck out seven mariners a row, starting with Victor Robles in the second inning and ending with Eugenio Suárez in the fourth. Setting the record for consecutive strikeouts in a postseason game. Then, according to MLB.com, Skubal sent five strikeouts of 100-plus mph this postseason, the most by any starting pitcher in a single postseason in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008).
More memorable moments include appearances by Logan Gilbert and Luis Castillo. The two starting pitchers entered the game late, with neither having pitched in relief in the Majors. Catcher Cal Raleigh offered his praise, stating, “It was such a tough night. Everyone put their other stuff aside and did everything for the team, including Logan and Luis.”
However, it paid off, and Gilbert’s stunning appearance has since been compared to that of Randy Johnson during Game 5 of the 1995 ALDS. Gilbert was able to throw two scoreless innings and majorly assist the Mariners in an exhilarating evening.
After a long night, the longest in MLB history actually, Seattle advances to its fourth AL Championship Series in franchise history. With a tight turnaround, as Game 1 against the Blue Jays will be in Toronto this Sunday beginning at 5:08 p.m. PT.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Mariners Advance to ALCS after 15 thrilling innings appeared first on Heavy Sports.