ALDS Game 5 Thriller: Tigers and Mariners Locked in 2-2 Tie Through 12 Innings

T-Mobile Park, Seattle — In what has become one of the most thrilling games of the 2025 postseason, the Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners remain deadlocked at 2-2 after 12 grueling innings in Game 5 of the American League Division Series (ALDS). With a trip to the AL Championship Series on the line, both teams are battling through tense, high-pressure baseball in front of a roaring crowd at T-Mobile Park.

What started as a duel between two of the league’s top pitchers has turned into a bullpen chess match, and the drama shows no sign of letting up.

The Stakes: Win or Go Home

With the series tied 2-2 coming into Friday night’s matchup, this decisive Game 5 carries massive implications. The winner will advance to the ALCS to face the Toronto Blue Jays, while the loser’s season ends in heartbreak.

The Tigers, who took Game 1 on the road, saw the Mariners respond with wins in Games 2 and 3. Detroit forced a Game 5 with a gutsy Game 4 performance, setting the stage for a dramatic showdown back in Seattle.

Pitching Duel to Start the Night

Seattle turned to right-hander George Kirby to start the game, while Detroit countered with reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. Both starters lived up to the billing—until managerial decisions and postseason pressure altered the trajectory of the game.

Kirby was sharp through five innings, allowing just three hits and no runs while striking out six. But with only 66 pitches thrown, Mariners manager Dan Wilson opted to pull Kirby early in the sixth after Javier Báez led off the inning with a double.

That decision proved costly.

Carpenter Makes Seattle Pay

Left-hander Gabe Speier came in to relieve Kirby but quickly gave up a devastating two-run home run to Tigers slugger Kerry Carpenter. It was only Speier’s second pitch of the night, and suddenly, Detroit had turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead. The run was officially charged to Kirby, but the blame quickly shifted to Wilson’s controversial early hook.

Skubal Makes Postseason History

Meanwhile, Skubal was making history of his own. Despite surrendering an early run, the Tigers’ ace struck out seven consecutive batters—a new MLB postseason record. The streak began in the bottom of the second and continued through the fourth, as he retired hitters like Gleyber Torres and Eugenio Suarez with electric precision.

Skubal finished with 11 strikeouts over six innings of work, leaving the game with the Tigers in front.

Naylor Sparks Seattle Early

The Mariners took the early lead thanks to a burst of aggression from Josh Naylor in the second inning. He ripped a ball down the third-base line and turned it into a double, helmet flying off as he rounded first. Then, with daring baserunning, he stole third and later tagged up on a deep sacrifice fly from Mitch Garver to score the game’s opening run.

Seattle had momentum early—but they couldn’t hold on to it.

Leo Rivas: The Unlikely Hero

Down by a run in the eighth inning, the Mariners turned to Leo Rivas, a late-game substitution who had yet to appear in the postseason. With the season hanging in the balance, Rivas stepped up and delivered a clutch RBI single in his first at-bat, tying the game at 2-2 and sending the crowd into a frenzy.

It was the type of moment postseason legends are made of—and it kept Seattle alive.

Extra-Inning Madness

Since Rivas’s game-tying hit, both teams have traded scoring threats but failed to capitalize. As the game rolled into the 12th inning, bullpens on both sides were being tested, with relievers asked to perform under crushing pressure.

Managers have used nearly every strategic tool at their disposal: pinch hitters, defensive switches, and matchup-based pitching changes. And still, neither team has been able to break the deadlock.

Fans are on their feet, nerves fraying with every pitch. Every out now feels like a season-defining moment.

What’s Next

The winner of this instant classic will head to Toronto to take on the Blue Jays in the ALCS. The stakes couldn’t be higher—and neither could the tension.

Whether it ends with a walk-off hit, a defensive gem, or a mistake under pressure, Game 5 between the Tigers and Mariners is already a postseason memory that fans of both franchises won’t soon forget.

Stay tuned for updates as this incredible game continues to unfold.