SEATTLE (Interstat) — In an epic, season-defining contest that stretched deep into the night, the Seattle Mariners defeated the Detroit Tigers 3-2 in 15 innings on Friday to win their American League Division Series in five games.

A crowd of 47,025 at a raucous T-Mobile Park witnessed Jorge Polanco’s two-out, bases-loaded single in the bottom of the 15th inning, scoring J.P. Crawford to send the Mariners to the American League Championship Series.

The game, a four-hour and 58-minute marathon defined by dominant pitching and missed opportunities, ended when Polanco grounded a 2-2 pitch from reliever Tommy Kahnle into right field. Crawford scored easily from third, triggering a celebration on the infield as the Mariners won their first playoff series since 2001.

Seattle won the series three games to two, advancing after a back-and-forth set where the home team won every contest. The Mariners improved to 93-74 overall, while the Tigers’ season ended with a 91-79 record.

The contest was a masterpiece of tension, featuring 15 combined pitchers and 24 strikeouts for each team. The outcome hinged on a critical error in the final frame.

The 15th inning began with Kahnle, the Tigers’ eighth pitcher, on the mound. Crawford led off with a sharp single to right field. Randy Arozarena was then hit by a pitch, putting two runners on with no outs.

After Cal Raleigh lined out to center field, a pivotal moment unfolded. Parker Meadows, the Detroit center fielder, caught the ball but then committed a throwing error on the relay, allowing Crawford to advance to third base. The Tigers then intentionally walked Julio Rodríguez to load the bases and set up a potential force play at any base.

Kahnle struck out Eugenio Suárez for the second out, bringing Polanco to the plate. After working the count full, Polanco delivered the series-winning hit, a ground ball that slipped past a diving Gleyber Torres and into right field.

Luis Castillo was credited with the win for Seattle, pitching 1 1/3 innings of perfect relief with one strikeout. Kahnle took the loss for Detroit, his sixth of the season.

The game was a pitcher’s duel from the start, headlined by a spectacular performance from Detroit’s Tarik Skubal. The Tigers’ ace was nearly untouchable, striking out 13 Mariners over six dominant innings. He allowed just two hits and one earned run.

His counterpart, Seattle’s George Kirby, was also sharp, yielding one run on three hits over five innings while striking out six.

Seattle drew first blood in the second inning. Josh Naylor doubled and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Mitch Garver, giving the Mariners an early 1-0 lead.

That score held until the sixth inning, when the Tigers’ offense finally broke through. Javier Báez sparked the rally with a double to center field. Kerry Carpenter, who had a stellar night at the plate, followed by launching a two-run home run to center field off reliever Gabe Speier, giving Detroit a 2-1 lead.

Carpenter finished the game four for five with a home run, two RBIs and a walk. His performance was the lone consistent offensive bright spot for the Tigers, who collected eight hits but went one for 12 with runners in scoring position and left 14 men on base.

The Mariners, who also had eight hits, clawed back to tie the game in the seventh. After a walk to Polanco and a single by Naylor, pinch-hitter Leo Rivas delivered a clutch, two-out single to left field, scoring Polanco to knot the game at 2-2.

From there, the bullpens took over, engaging in a high-stakes stalemate. Seattle’s Eduard Bazardo was brilliant, striking out four over 2 2/3 hitless innings of relief. Matt Brash and Logan Gilbert also provided scoreless frames for the Mariners.

Detroit’s relief corps was equally formidable. Will Vest struck out four over two perfect innings. Jack Flaherty and Keider Montero each added two scoreless innings, with Montero inducing a key double play to escape a bases-loaded jam in the 12th.

Both teams squandered golden opportunities to end the game earlier. The Tigers’ best chance came in the top of the 12th. They loaded the bases with one out, but Bazardo intentionally walked Carpenter, and Torres then flied out to right field to end the threat.

The Mariners put the winning run in scoring position in the 10th but could not convert. The game stretched on, inning after tense inning, until Polanco’s final swing sent Seattle to the next round.

The Mariners will now await the winner of the other American League Division Series. For the Tigers, the loss marks a heartbreaking end to a season that saw them push the favored Mariners to the absolute limit in a classic playoff showdown.