How Mariners, Tigers can win decisive Game 5

This is October shot astatine its finest!

It's clip for a win-or-go-home Game 5 successful the American League Division Series betwixt the Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers astatine T-Mobile Park.

The Tigers, who entered these playoffs arsenic the No. 6 seed, volition look to thrust their momentum from a ascendant Game 4 triumph successful Detroit connected Wednesday to a 2nd consecutive victory. The Mariners, the No. 2 effect with location tract advantage, anticipation to unafraid their archetypal travel to the American League Championship Series since 2001.

Which squad volition travel retired connected apical to look the Toronto Blue Jays for the AL pennant?

We've got you covered with pregame lineups and the keys to Game 5 on with takeaways aft the last out.

Detroit Tigers astatine Seattle Mariners (8:08 p.m. ET connected Fox)

Series tied 2-2

Game 5 starters: Tarik Skubal vs. George Kirby

Key to winning Game 5 for Seattle: In 1997, Hall of Famer Randy Johnson went 20-4 with a 2.28 ERA for the Mariners. One team, however, had his number: He started 5 times against the Orioles, including doubly successful the ALDS, and the Mariners mislaid each 5 games.

Skubal is the 2025 mentation of Johnson -- and the 2025 Mariners look to person his number. In his 2nd commencement of the season, the Mariners bushed him 3-2. In July, they scored 4 runs disconnected of him successful 5 innings, including a Julio Rodriguez location run, and won 12-3. In Game 2 of this series, Jorge Polanco homered doubly arsenic Skubal near trailing 2-0, with the Mariners yet winning 3-2. Three Skubal starts, 3 Mariners victories.

Now, Seattle has to bash it a 4th time, and the pitching unit volition person to unopen down the Tigers. It's hard to drawstring unneurotic hits against Skubal, truthful the Mariners volition request to deed a location tally oregon 2 (when Skubal doesn't let a location tally this year, he's 12-1). They won't needfully effort to tally up his transportation number -- since they mightiness effort to onslaught aboriginal successful the number and debar his wipeout alteration -- but Skubal has thrown much than 100 pitches conscionable 4 times this season, truthful trying to bash that and get him retired aft six innings is different imaginable way to victory. Mostly, the Mariners volition request a leader to measurement up and bushed the champion pitcher successful the AL. -- David Schoenfield

Key to winning Game 5 for Detroit: Yes, the most-cited stat related to this bid is Seattle's 3-0 grounds erstwhile facing Skubal this season. That information tin beryllium taken arsenic a root of optimism (We person his number!) oregon anxiousness (No mode we bushed that feline a 4th time!). But the Mariners person done a coagulated occupation of getting into hitter's counts against Skubal and past doing harm erstwhile they do. At the aforesaid time, the Tigers haven't scored successful the aboriginal innings of immoderate of those games, which has besides been a occupation during the postseason. Scoring a mates of runs aboriginal would beryllium immense for Detroit and for Skubal, arsenic it would let him to onslaught the portion and debar those hitter's counts. I don't truly deliberation the Mariners person Skubal's number, but he's not infallible. He does need his offense, however, to springiness him astatine slightest a sliver of a borderline for error. -- Bradford Doolittle

Lineups

Tigers

TBD

Mariners

TBD