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AS YOU MAY KNOW…the Mariners were victorious in Game 5 of the ALDS against the Tigers on Friday night…the 3–2 Seattle win went 15 innings, which marked the longest winner-take-all game by innings in MLB history, but…DID YOU KNOW?…Jorge Polanco’s walk-off single in the bottom of the 15th inning marked just the 16th walk-off in a winner-take-all game in MLB history?…it was the 10th winner-take-all walk-off in extra innings…the only 2 walk-off winners in a winner-take-all ALDS game both belong to the Mariners: Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez’s walk-off double in Game 5 against the Yankees (11th inning) on Oct. 8, 1995, and Polanco’s walk-off single against the Tigers on Oct. 10, 2025.
TONIGHT’S POSTSEASON TILT…the Mariners and Blue Jays meet for Game 1 of the American League Championship Series, a best-of-seven Postseason matchup…Seattle is coming off a 3–2 ALDS victory over the Detroit Tigers…tonight’s game will be televised live on FOX with Joe Davis and John Smoltz on the call, with Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci serving as field reporters…the game will be broadcast live on Seattle Sports (710 AM) with Rick Rizzs, Aaron Goldsmith and Gary Hill Jr. on the call…the game will also be broadcast live on ESPN Radio.
ODDS AND ENDS…the Mariners defeated the Tigers by a 3–2 score on Friday night at T-Mobile Park, capturing the winner-take-all Game 5 in 15 innings.
· Final Four — Seattle goes for its first-ever American League Championship, while Toronto aims to get back to the Fall Classic for the first time in 32 years — when they won consecutive World Series in 1992–93.
· Division Champs — Seattle captured its first AL West Division title in 24 years, and its fourth division title in franchise history (1995, ’97, 2001, ‘25).
· The Skipper — In his first full season as manager, Dan Wilson led the M’s to a 90–72 (.556) record and its first AL West Division title since 2001…Wilson is 114–87 (.567) as manager including playoffs (8/23/24-c).
MARINERS IN THE ALCS…the Mariners are in the American League Championship Series for the fourth time in franchise history (also: 1995, 2000, 2001)…Seattle is 4 wins away from its first World Series appearance in team history…in its last ALCS appearance in 2001, the 116-win Mariners lost to the New York Yankees in 5 games.
SEATTLE SETS ALCS ROSTER…the Mariners announced their ALCS roster earlier today…the 26-man roster carries over 24 players from the ALDS roster, with the exceptions being All-Star right-handed pitcher Bryan Woo and infielder/outfielder Miles Mastrobuoni…infielder Ben Williamson and INF/OF Luke Raley were both on the Division Series roster and will now be on the taxi squad…Seattle is carrying 13 pitchers and 13 position players on the ALCS roster: catchers Harry Ford, Mitch Garver and Cal Raleigh, infielders J.P. Crawford, Josh Naylor, Jorge Polanco, Leo Rivas and Eugenio Suárez, outfielders Randy Arozarena, Dominic Canzone, Victor Robles and Julio Rodríguez, and INF/OF Miles Mastrobuoni…the 13 pitchers include 11 right-handers: Eduard Bazardo, Matt Brash, Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, Emerson Hancock, Luke Jackson, George Kirby, Bryce Miller, Andrés Muñoz, Carlos Vargas and Bryan Woo, and 2 lefties: Caleb Ferguson and Gabe Speier.
LAST TIME IN TORONTO…Seattle and Toronto, the 2 franchises that joined Major League Baseball in 1977, meet in the Postseason for the second time ever…in the 2022 AL Wild Card Series, Seattle swept the Blue Jays in 2 games in Toronto…in Game 1 on Oct. 7, 2022, Seattle won 4–0 in its first playoff game since 2001 behind a dominant Luis Castillo start (7.1 IP, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 SO) and a 2-run homer by Cal Raleigh…in Game 2 on Oct. 8, 2022, the Mariners overcame an 8–1 deficit after 5 innings to win by a 10–9 final…the 7-run comeback is tied as the 2nd-largest in Postseason history with the 2008 Red Sox (ALCS) and trailing only the 1929 Philadelphia Athletics (8 runs, World Series).
WELL, FOR STARTERS…in the ALDS, Seattle starting pitchers went 1–0 with a 2.16 ERA (6 ER, 25.0 IP) with 26 strikeouts and 5 walks, holding opponents to a .200 batting average.
MASTERFUL ON THE MOUND…in Seattle’s 3–2, 15-inning win over the Tigers, the pitching staff combined for a 1.20 ERA (2 ER, 15.0 IP) with 17 strikeouts and 4 walks…George Kirby went 5.0 innings and allowed 1 run with 6 strikeouts and no walks in his start…the bullpen combination of Gabe Speier, Matt Brash, Andrés Muñoz, Logan Gilbert, Eduard Bazardo and Luis Castillo tossed 10.0 innings, allowing just 1 run with 11 strikeouts and 4 walks…Castillo recorded the win.
LOGAN & LUIS: UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY…starting pitchers Logan Gilbert and Luis Castillo both stepped in as relievers in Friday’s ALCS-clinching victory…Gilbert (2.0 IP, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO) made his first career relief appearance and his first since May 7, 2017 with Stetson University (FL)…Gilbert also made 1 relief appearance in 2019 Spring Training, his first spring with Seattle…for Castillo (W, 1.1 IP, 0 R, 1 SO), it marked his first Major League relief appearance and his first since June 23, 2016 with the High-A Jupiter Hammerheads.
BIRTHDAY EXCELLENCE…in Game 5 of the ALDS, Leo Rivas supplied the pinch-hit, game-tying RBI single in the bottom of the 7th inning…it was Rivas’ 28th birthday, making him the third player in Postseason history to register a pinch-hit, base hit on his birthday…he joined Swede Risberg-CWS (Oct. 13, 1917) and Francisco Cabrera-ATL (Oct. 10, 1993).
POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE…of the 26 players on the Mariners ALCS roster, 17 have appeared in the prior Postseasons including 8 with Seattle in 2022: catcher Cal Raleigh, infielders J.P. Crawford and Eugenio Suárez and right-handed pitchers Matt Brash, Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby and Andrés Muñoz…Seattle’s roster features 3 World Series winners: OF Victor Robles (2019 Nationals), RHP Luke Jackson (2021 Braves) and C Mitch Garver (2023 Rangers).
SERIES-LY GOOD FOR CAL…in 5 games during the ALDS, Cal Raleigh hit .381 (8×21) with a double, home run, 4 RBI and 4 walks, posting a 1.051 OPS…Raleigh reached base safely in all 5 ALDS contests.
CAL RALEIGH: HISTORY MAKER & AL MVP CANDIDATE…Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh had an MVP-caliber campaign in 2025, batting .247 (147×596) with 110 runs scored, 24 doubles, 60 home runs, 125 RBI, 14 stolen bases and 97 walks, getting on base at a .359 clip, slugging .589 with a .948 OPS…Raleigh led the Majors in home runs…in the American League he ranked 1st in RBI, T-7th in OBP, 2nd in slugging, 3rd in OPS, 2nd in walks, 2nd in extra-base hits (84), 2nd in total bases (351), 2nd in runs (110), 3rd in plate appearances (705) and 2nd in fWAR (9.1)…here’s a look at 3 major records he set in 2025:
· Catcher Record — Cal hit the most home runs in a season by a primary catcher, surpassing Salvador Perez (48 HR for the 2021 Royals).
· Switch-Hitter Record — Cal hit the most home runs in a season by a switch-hitter, surpassing Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle (54 HR for the 1961 Yankees).
· Mariners Record — Cal hit the most home runs in a season by a Mariners player, surpassing Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. (56 HR in 1997 and ‘98).
HISTORIC POWER AND SPEED…the Mariners offense hit 238 home runs (3rd in MLB) and recorded 161 stolen bases (T-3rd in MLB) during the regular season…the 2025 Mariners are the second team in Major League history to post 230+ homers and 160+ steals, joining the 2023 Tampa Bay Rays (230 HR, 160 SB).
LINEUP DEPTH…the Mariners boast one of the best overall lineups in the Majors…Seattle has 8 players who posted 100+ plate appearances and an OPS+ of at least 110 (10% better than league-average) during the regular season, tied for most in the Majors: Cal Raleigh (169 OPS+), Dominic Canzone (142), Josh Naylor (138), Jorge Polanco (134), Julio Rodríguez (128), Randy Arozarena (119), Leo Rivas (113) and J.P. Crawford (111)…additionally, Eugenio Suárez posted a 126 OPS+ in 657 combined plate appearances between Arizona and Seattle, posting a 94 OPS+ in 220 plate appearances with the Mariners.
PLAYOFF PROWESS…Seattle has made the Postseason 6 times in franchise history and has won a series in 5 of those 6 years, including each of the last 4 (2000, 2001, 2022, 2025)…the only season in which Seattle made the Postseason, but did not win a series, was 1997.