The Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers have played a back and forth American League Division Series, and now it all comes down to Game 5 on Friday night in Seattle.
The Tigers stole Game 1 on the road, then the Mariners won Game 2 with Tarik Skubal on the mound and stole Game 3 in Detroit. However, the Tigers fought off elimination with a comeback win in Game 4, and now the stage is set for a winner-takes-all Game 5 on Friday night.
The Tigers will have Skubal on the mound and the Mariners will have George Kirby. As the Mariners get ready for the must-win home game, Seattle is leaning on their Hall of Famer's motto to get the job done.
Mariner's Embrace Ichiro Suzuki's Motto
In the Mariners' final home stand of the regular season, a yellow banner that read Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki's motto, "Seize The Moment," appeared above the left field bleachers, and now the Mariners are embracing that motto heading into Game 5.
"We play really well at our park," J.P. Crawford said on Thursday in Detroit (h/t MLB.com). "Our fans make it really fun. And the vibes are great. So, we go into Friday with a positive mindset."
The Mariners have been lights out at T-Mobile Park this season, and players couldn't ask for a better opportunity on Friday night. Seattle was 51-30 at home during the regular season, which was sixth-best in the MLB.
Game 5.
— MLB (@MLB) October 10, 2025
Tigers vs. Mariners.
Who’s punching their ticket to face the Blue Jays in the ALCS? pic.twitter.com/9zr5uyxWrF
In fact, the Mariners are 27-10 at T-Mobile Park since the All-Star break, including the first two games of the ALDS.
"We're kind of in a good spot," Josh Naylor said (h/t MLB.com). "We're going home to our home crowd. We've been playing good baseball. We just lost the game. Big deal."
The Mariners will return home with a chance to win and advance to their fourth ALCS in team history, and first appearance since 2001.
Tarik Skubal has made three starts against the Mariners this season. The Tigers lost all three, scoring a total of seven runs in those games.
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) October 10, 2025
Skubal has 22 K in 17.2 IP vs. Seattle this season, but the Mariners have walked and homered at higher rates against him. pic.twitter.com/2GUUt8mNd9
"We've got a lot of resiliency in this club, and I have confidence in the guys that we're going to go out and play good baseball. We know it's going to be tough," Cal Raleigh said (h/t MLB.com). "But we're up for the challenge, and that's what you have to do at this time there. You have to face good pitching and face good teams, and there's going to be challenges and bumps in the road. And we're up for it for Friday."
The challenge is set for the Mariners. They've been the only team all year that's been able to get to Skubal. However, no team has ever beaten the Tigers four times in the same season with Skubal on the mound.
Now, that's what the Mariners have to accomplish to make it to the American League Championship Series.