It took 15 full innings and several years off of the lives of everyone in the Pacific Northwest, but finally, after 25 long years, the Seattle Mariners are headed back to the ALCS.
Jorge Polanco finally delivered the game-winning swing in the bottom of the 15th, lifting the M's to a thrilling win in a do-or-die Game 5 against the Detroit Tigers. Seattle trailed, 2-1, entering the bottom of the seventh, but their offense came to life with Tarik Skubal finally out of the game, Leo Rivas delivering the game-tying base hit. What followed was a nerve-shredding stalemate, each team having multiple chances to push across the series-winning run only to watch it slip through their grasp.
In the end, the Mariners had just a bit more in the tank, and they escaped with a win that exorcised more than two decades of demons for a packed crowd at T-Mobile Park. The good news is that Seattle's season will continue, and they're now just four wins away from the first World Series appearance in franchise history. The bad news, though, is that things will only get tougher from here.
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Updated MLB playoff bracket: Who will Mariners face in ALCS?
After dispatching Detroit, the Mariners will now move on to face the top-seeded Toronto Blue Jays in the ALCS. Not much was expected from John Schneider's team at the start of the season, but Vladimir Guerrero and Co. had other ideas, taking hold of the AL East in midsummer and never looking back en route to an AL-leading 94 wins during the regular season. They looked awfully impressive handling the New York Yankees in the ALDS, scoring a whopping 34 runs across four games.
The Jays have been kicking back since the clincher on Wednesday, and they'll be rested and ready to welcome Seattle across the border for Game 1 this weekend. Here's everything we know about the ALCS schedule right now, with some details still to be ironed out depending on how the remaining NLDS between the Cubs and Brewers shakes out.
2025 ALCS schedule
Game | Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
Game 1 | Sunday, Oct. 12 | 8:03 p.m. ET | Rogers Centre, Toronto |
Game 2 | Monday, Oct. 13 | 5:03 p.m. ET (if Brewers advance to NLCS)/4:38 p.m. ET (if Cubs advance to NLCS) | Rogers Centre, Toronto |
Game 3 | Wednesday, Oct. 15 | TBD | T-Mobile Park, Seattle |
Game 4 | Thursday, Oct. 16 | TBD | T-Mobile Park, Seattle |
Game 5* | Friday, Oct. 17 | TBD | T-Mobile Park, Seattle |
Game 6* | Sunday, Oct. 19 | TBD | Rogers Centre, Toronto |
Game 7* | Monday, Oct. 20 | TBD | Rogers Centre, Toronto |
*if necessary
Game 1 will take place on Sunday, Oct. 12, at 8:03 p.m. ET. Kevin Gausman will almost certainly start for Toronto, while Seattle's pitching plans are in flux after having to use both Logan Gilbert and Luis Castillo in relief in Game 5. From there, Game 2 will be on Monday in the late afternoon, with exact first pitch time dependent on what the NLCS matchup winds up being. Games 3-5 will shift to Seattle, and Games 6 and 7 (if necessary) back in Canada.
The Jays took the season series between these two teams during the regular season, winning four of six including a sweep of the Mariners at home in early May.