The Detroit Tigers outlasted the Seattle Mariners in an 11-inning marathon on Saturday, Oct. 4, winning 3-2 on the road in the first game of the American League Division Series. Spencer Torkelson walked to lead off the frame and stole second base, but Mariners pitcher Carlos Vargas rebounded for two strikeouts as the Tigers’ threat seemed poised to go nowhere fast.
Instead, third baseman Zach McKinstry roped a first pitch sinker to center field, plating Torkelson and putting Detroit in front. Tigers closer Keider Montero allowed a two-out single to Mariners superstar Julio Rodríguez, then induced a grounder to first to secure the save and give his team a 1-0 series lead.
Here are the winners and losers from Game 1: the pitch clock deserves an honorable mention for churning through an 11 inning game on the West Coast in just three hours and 21 minutes.
Winner: Troy Melton
Tigers right-hander Troy Melton melted down in his first taste of postseason action against Cleveland, allowing four earned runs in 0.1 relief innings on the way to a 6-1 loss. Detroit manager A.J. Hinch decided to trust his young pitcher with the ball to begin Game 1 in Seattle, and Melton responded with four innings of one-run ball, striking out four batters on 57 pitches.
Although he allowed a leadoff home run in his last inning of work, Melton limited the damage, responding with three quick outs instead of spiraling like he did against the Guardians.
Winner: Julio Rodríguez
Mariners’ center fielder Julio Rodríguez starred in his first postseason game since 2022, picking up three hits in five at-bats with a home run and two RBI. If Seattle scored a run, Rodríguez had a hand in doing so, putting the Mariners ahead 1-0 with a fourth inning leadoff home run before singling with runners at the corners in the sixth, establishing a 2-2 tie.
Even in the eleventh inning, with the Mariners trailing 3-2, Rodríguez did his best to spark a rally, roping a two-out single to left, but Seattle couldn’t mount a comeback. Rodríguez has a streaky bat but when he’s on fire, there are few outfielders better at the plate.
Loser: Mariners’ Offense
MVP candidate Cal Raleigh enjoyed a three hit game for the Mariners, singling in the first, sixth and eighth innings; the aforementioned Rodríguez also picked up three hits, including a home run. Outside of walks to Randy Arozarena and Josh Naylor, that was the sum total of Seattle’s offense on Saturday night.
No other Mariner recorded a hit, and the team had just four at-bats with a runner in scoring position… in a game that lasted 11 innings! Seattle’s superstars made plays and their pitching staff did an excellent job of limiting the Tigers, but they’ll need the rest of the lineup to pull their own weight if they want to make any sort of a run this October.
Loser: Seattle’s Bullpen
Although the Mariners’ bullpen limited Detroit to one hit and one run across six relief innings, an admirable performance by all accounts, they still come away as a loser for two key reasons. One, Seattle won’t get a rest day heading into Game 2: they’ll be back at it again on Sunday night, trying to avoid a 2-0 series deficit heading to Detroit. Two, the Tigers will send Cy Young frontrunner Tarik Skubal to the mound in Game 2, so Detroit may not need to ask much of their bullpen on short rest. Skubal put together a masterful performance against Cleveland in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series, holding the Guardians to one run across 7.2 innings and setting a career high with 14 strikeouts.
If the bullpens are a big factor once again in Game 2, the Mariners will begin on their back foot automatically.
