The Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners faced off in Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Saturday night, and nine innings weren’t enough to determine a winner.
The game remained tied at 2-2 through nine innings, sending it into extra innings. In the 10th, Mariners’ pitcher Andres Muñoz recorded a lineout followed by back-to-back strikeouts. Tigers’ Will Vest responded by forcing a grounder, a pop out, and a strikeout to keep the game alive and push it to the 11th inning.
Spencer Torkelson led off the 11th with a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After back-to-back strikeouts for Detroit, Zach McKinstry singled to center, driving in Torkelson for the go-ahead run. That proved to be all the Tigers needed as they held on for a 3-2 victory in Game 1 of the ALDS.
ZACH MCKINSTRY GIVES THE @TIGERS THE LEAD IN THE 11TH! #ALDS pic.twitter.com/6OSA01Kngq
— MLB (@MLB) October 5, 2025
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Here is more on how the Tigers-Mariners 2025 ALDS Game 1 ended.
Where is Zach McKinstry from?
Zach McKinstry was born in Toledo, Ohio, on April 29, 1995. The 30-year-old utilityman played college baseball at Central Michigan University. He was selected in the 33rd round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers and worked his way through their organization, making his major league debut in 2020.
McKinstry was traded to the Chicago Cubs in 2022 in exchange for Chris Martin and then sent to Detroit ahead of the 2023 season in a deal for Carlos Guzman.
He made the All-Star Game in 2025 as a replacement for the injured Jeremy Peña.
MORE MLB: Latest injury updates on Brewers' Jackson Chourio
Zach McKinstry contract details
McKinstry was first arbitration eligible in the 2024-2025 offseason. He avoided going to arbitration by signing a one-year deal worth $1.65 million. McKinstry has two more years of arbitration before he is an unrestricted free agent following the conclusion of the 2027 season.
Longest MLB playoff game
Fans were treated to some extra playoff baseball on Saturday night. While MLB uses ghost runners in the regular season, that rule is abandoned in the playoffs. Game 1 of the ALDS went 11 innings, though it didn’t come close to the longest playoff games in history. That distinction belongs to several contests that stretched to 18 innings, most recently Game 3 of the 2022 ALDS between the Houston Astros and the Seattle Mariners.
Tigers-Mariners ALDS series schedule
| Game | Date | First Pitch (ET) | TV | Live stream |
| 1 | Saturday, October 4 | 8:38 p.m. | FS1 | Fubo |
| 2 | Sunday, October 5 | 8:03 p.m. | FS1 | Fubo |
| 3 | Tuesday, October 7 | 4:08 p.m. | FS1 | Fubo |
| 4* | Wednesday, October 8 | 3:08 p.m. or 7:08 p.m. | FS1 | Fubo |
| 5* | Friday, October 10 | 4:40 p.m. or 8:08 p.m. | FS1 | Fubo |
*indicates if necessary