Game 5 of the ALDS between the Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers on Friday night has instantly taken its place as one of the best postseason games in baseball history. Tarik Skubal throwing 101-mph fastballs en route to 13 strikeouts. Kerry Carpenter playing October hero once again. The Mariners getting a huge swing from an unexpected source to force extra innings. Both offenses failing time ... after time ... after time to take advantage of scoring opportunities. And finally, in the bottom of the 15th, Jorge Polanco delivering the single that sent Seattle to its first ALCS appearance since 2001.
The Mariners and their fans probably still haven't come down from the high yet. But if we're being honest, the biggest winner from Friday night was thousands of miles away from the Pacific Northwest: Because while Seattle and Detroit were throwing haymakers and burning just about every pitcher they had available, the top-seeded Toronto Blue Jays were kicking back, relaxing and taking notes — ready to welcome whichever beleaguered team managed to survive one of the most grueling games in recent memory.
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Mariners' legendary ALDS win could come at a steep cost
Of course, Seattle doesn't much care about any of that, nor should they. This time of year the only goal is to survive and advance; the Mariners will worry about tomorrow when tomorrow arrives, especially considering just how starved this franchise and fan base have been for a moment like that. And to be clear: This remains among the deepest teams in baseball, with righty Bryan Woo set to return from injury at some point in this series, and it wouldn't surprise anyone if they punched their ticket to the World Series.
Still, it's hard to avoid feeling like the effects of Game 5 might reverberate for days to come, providing a potentially crucial edge in what shapes up to be a tight series. Seattle had to use not only George Kirby to start Game 5, but both Logan Gilbert (two innings) and Luis Castillo (1.1 innings) in relief. With Game 1 of the ALCS set for Sunday night in Toronto, the team will likely be forced to start righty Bryce Miller against Jays ace Kevin Gausman — and given Miller's struggles down the stretch this season, that's not a position the Mariners wanted to be in.
And from there, who knows? Will Woo be able to handle a starter's workload in this series? Will he be ready to start Game 2, or will Seattle be forced to turn to Gilbert or Castillo on Monday, just three days removed from using them in high-leverage relief spots? The Mariners were going to have to lean on the strength of their starting pitching to keep this red-hot Toronto offense in check, but the task got a whole lot tougher after Game 5 threw their best-laid plans into a blender.