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Detroit Tigers waste incredible Tarik Skubal effort in 15-inning 3-2 ALDS loss to Mariners
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- Detroit Tigers waste incredible Tarik Skubal effort in 15-inning 3-2 ALDS loss to Mariners
SEATTLE — It took 15 innings, but the Detroit Tigers have been eliminated from the 2025 MLB playoffs .
Left-hander Tarik Skubal set a new postseason record with seven strikeouts in a row while giving up just one run over six innings, and slugger Kerry Carpenter blasted a go-ahead two-run home run off a left-handed reliever in the sixth inning.
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All the Tigers needed was one more big moment.
They didn't get it.
The Tigers lost, 3-2, to the Seattle Mariners on Friday, Oct. 10, in an epic winner-take-all Game 5 of the ALDS at T-Mobile Park. The Mariners tied the game in the seventh inning, then won the game in the 15th inning.
The four-hour, 58-minute showdown between the Tigers and Mariners set the record for the longest winner-take-all postseason game in MLB history, passing the 13-inning battle between Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs in the 2018 NL wild-card game.
JEFF SEIDEL: Tigers were eliminated, but not before experiencing lifetime of drama in one game
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To end it, Jorge Polanco hit a walk-off single against right-handed reliever Tommy Kahnle , sending a changeup into right field with the bases loaded and one out.
Just like that, the Tigers fell short in Game 5 of the ALDS for the second year in a row.
With the loss, the Tigers (2-3) won't play games that count again until 2026 Opening Day, set for March 26 against the San Diego Padres in San Diego.
Meanwhile, the Mariners (3-2) have advanced to the best-of-seven ALCS against the Toronto Blue Jays , which begins Sunday at Rogers Centre in Toronto. The Mariners are the only MLB franchise to never advance to the World Series.
A.J. Hinch pulls Tarik Skubal
In Game 5 of the ALDS, the Tigers' downfall began after Skubal departed.
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Skubal shined with 13 strikeouts, but in the process, the Mariners fouled off 26 pitches while battling deep into counts. He exhausted 99 pitches across six innings, averaging 16.5 pitches per inning.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch didn't let Skubal pitch beyond the sixth inning.
RELIVE GAME 5: How it happened in Seattle
Hinch opened the door to the bullpen.
It began with right-handed reliever Kyle Finnegan , who created trouble for himself with a one-out walk by Polanco and a two-out single by Josh Naylor .
The Tigers pivoted to left-handed reliever Tyler Holton for a matchup with Dominic Canzone , but since Canzone struggles against lefties, Mariners manager Dan Wilson pinch-hit Leo Rivas to secure the platoon advantage.
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The move worked for the Mariners.
Rivas pulled Holton's middle-middle changeup into left field, driving in Polanco from second base with two outs in the seventh. The RBI single tied the game, 2-2.
Kerry Carpenter delivers a lead
Tigers right fielder Kerry Carpenter celebrates a 2-run home run against Mariners during the sixth inning of ALDS Game 5 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025.
The Tigers took control in the sixth inning.
Javier Báez ripped a leadoff double against right-hander George Kirby , who had cruised through the first five innings. The double forced Wilson to replace Kirby with left-handed reliever Gabe Speier for a key matchup with Carpenter.
Carpenter struggles against lefties.
But Hinch declined to pinch-hit Jahmai Jones in what would've given the Tigers the platoon advantage, even though Jones appeared ready to hit — standing on the top step of the dugout.
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Hinch stuck with Carpenter to benefit the Tigers later in the game because the Mariners have a bullpen full of right-handed relievers. Carpenter rewarded Hinch with a surprising left-on-left home run, blasting Speier's middle-middle 95.4 mph fastball for a 411-foot homer to right-center field.
The homer put the Tigers ahead, 2-1.
Kirby allowed one run on three hits and zero walks with six strikeouts across five-plus innings, throwing 66 pitches.
Josh Naylor steals run
The Mariners took a 1-0 lead in the second inning, with their fans to thank.
Josh Naylor checked his swing but shot Skubal's middle-away 100.2 mph sinker — located well outside of the strike zone — down the left-field line and into the corner, pulling into second for a double. He isn't a fast runner, but he stole third base.
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As Naylor danced toward third, second baseman Gleyber Torres covered second, but Skubal never turned around to make the pickoff attempt. Torres tried to alert him, but Skubal couldn't hear him because of the crowd noise.
Just like that, Naylor stole the extra base, then scored on Mitch Garver 's sacrifice fly to put the Mariners ahead, 1-0.
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Skubal recorded his seven straight strikeouts from the final out in the second inning to the final out in the fourth. He allowed one run across six innings, limiting the Mariners to two hits without any walks along the way.
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For his final pitches, Skubal struck out Cal Raleigh swinging with three fastballs in a row, capped by a game-high 100.9 mph fastball down the middle of the zone.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on Apple , Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers bounced from ALDS with 3-2 loss in 15 innings in Game 5
