SEATTLE (Interstat) — In a taut, extra-inning affair that defied pregame projections, the Detroit Tigers edged the Seattle Mariners 3-2 in 11 innings on Saturday to seize the opening game of their American League playoff series.

A crowd of 47,290 at a raucous T-Mobile Park watched as the Tigers, cast as significant underdogs, grinded out a victory defined by stellar pitching and one timely, late-game swing. The win gives Detroit a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

The game was a stark departure from the offensive explosion forecast by Interstat, whose game simulator had projected a 7-4 Seattle victory. The Mariners had been installed as pregame favorites with a -1.5 spread and a 59.4 percent probability to win according to the ELO rating system. The total of five runs fell well under the over/under line of 7.

The contest evolved into a classic postseason pitchers’ duel, with both starting pitchers delivering strong performances. Seattle’s George Kirby was sharp, allowing two runs on six hits over five innings while striking out eight. His counterpart, Detroit’s Troy Melton, was equally effective, limiting the Mariners to one run on two hits with four strikeouts across four innings of work.

Seattle struck first, breaking a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth inning. Julio Rodríguez launched a solo home run to center field off Melton, sending the home crowd into a frenzy and giving the Mariners an early 1-0 advantage.

The Tigers responded an inning later against Kirby. After Javier Báez lined out sharply and Parker Meadows singled, Gleyber Torres moved Meadows to second with a soft groundout. That brought Kerry Carpenter to the plate, and the Detroit right fielder delivered a monumental blow, crushing a two-run homer to right-center field to put the Tigers ahead 2-1.

The lead was short-lived. In the bottom of the sixth, Seattle mounted a threat against the Detroit bullpen. Randy Arozarena worked a walk and Cal Raleigh followed with a single to center, putting runners on the corners. Rodríguez, continuing his stellar day, lined a single to right field, scoring Arozarena to tie the game 2-2. The Mariners’ potential for a bigger inning was snuffed out when Josh Naylor grounded into an inning-ending double play.

From there, the bullpens took over, engaging in a high-stakes stalemate. Seattle’s Andrés Muñoz was dominant, firing two perfect innings with two strikeouts. He was followed by scoreless outings from Gabe Speier and Matt Brash.

Detroit’s relief corps matched the effort zero for zero. Will Vest was particularly brilliant, tossing two perfect innings and striking out two. Tyler Holton added a scoreless frame, setting the stage for the extra-inning drama.

The deadlock was finally broken in the top of the 11th. Facing Seattle reliever Carlos Vargas, Spencer Torkelson drew a leadoff walk. After Wenceel Pérez and Dillon Dingler struck out, the inning was extended for Zach McKinstry. The Tigers’ third baseman came through, grounding a single into center field that scored Torkelson from second base, giving Detroit a 3-2 lead.

In the bottom of the 11th, Detroit turned to Keider Montero to close it out. Rodríguez, who already had three hits, gave the Mariners life with a two-out single. But Montero induced a ground ball from Josh Naylor, who rolled over to first baseman Torkelson for the game’s final out, securing Montero’s first save of the season.

Vest earned the win, improving to 7-5, while Vargas took the loss, falling to 5-6.

Offensively, Rodríguez was the standout performer for Seattle, finishing 3 for 5 with a home run and both of the Mariners’ RBIs. Carpenter provided the key offensive moment for Detroit with his two-run homer.

The Tigers, who improved to 90-76 with the victory, have now won four of their last five games. The Mariners, who fell to 90-73, saw a four-game winning streak snapped.

The series resumes Sunday at T-Mobile Park as the Tigers look to take a commanding 2-0 series lead before the scene shifts to Detroit for Games 3 and 4.