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During an intense 15-inning battle, Jorge Polanco drove in the winning run with a single to the outfield, sealing a narrow win for the home team over the Detroit Tigers in Game 5 of the ALDS.

Decisive Plays in the Extended Matchup

Luis Castillo, making his initial bullpen outing in the major leagues, threw over an inning to earn the victory, sending his team to the AL Championship Series for the initial occasion in over two decades.

Seattle will now compete against the Toronto for the championship in a showdown between 1977 expansion counterparts. The series opener is set for Sunday in the Blue Jays' home.

15th Inning Breakthrough

• The leadoff hitter started the bottom of the 15th with a sharp hit to the outfield.
• Randy Arozarena was hit by a pitch, putting players on first and second.
• After Cal Raleigh made an out, a fielding mistake by the outfielder allowed Crawford to take third.
• Following an strategic base on balls, the batter connected on a full count to conclude the game.

Key Runs and Defensive Performances

A Tigers hitter provided all of Detroit's scoring with a home run in the middle frames.

Seattle evened the score at 2-2 in the seventh on a pinch hitter's run-scoring hit.

Both teams posed a danger repeatedly in extra innings, with the home team grounding into twin killings in both the later extra innings.

Opening Hurlers Duel

The Tigers' ace and George Kirby engaged in a low-scoring battle in the early innings.

Skubal, a pitching honor contender, gave up a single score on a couple of hits with no walks and 13 strikeouts over six innings. He established a postseason record with seven consecutive strikeouts.

The only run came in the second inning, when a double, theft, and sacrifice fly scored a point for the home side.

Kirby opened with five scoreless innings before surrendering a early hit in the sixth. After a pitching change, Carpenter went deep on a fastball to hand the visitors the advantage.

The starter went five-plus innings and was responsible for a single score on a few hits with zero free passes and several K's.

The win signifies a significant milestone for the Seattle franchise, who advance to battle for a spot in the World Series after a extended playoff drought.