Cal Raleigh’s girlfriend Hannah Shimek drops 3-word reaction to Mariners’ thrilling ALDS-clinching win

The Seattle Mariners are heading to the American League Championship Series after a historic ALDS Game 5 against the Detroit Tigers. The Mariners clinched a 3-2 win after 15 innings of intense battle in the decisive contest on Friday.

Jorge Polanco hit a walk-off single to book the Mariners' championship series ticket for the first time since 2001. Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who was walked twice in the contest with a hit in five plate appearances, was solid from behind the plate.

Following the win, Raleigh's girlfriend Hannah Shimek summarized the game with a three word reaction on Instagram.

"I can't breathe," Hannah captioned her story sharing a graphic of Mariners' Game 5 triumph.

It took 15 innings to separate the two teams as they went back and forth in the longest winner-take-all postseason game in baseball history.

"I know we played a long game, but this team never gave up,” Polanco said. “I know there is a lot of emotion, but we are always trying to keep it simple. I’m just trying to go out there and play and trying to get the win.”

Although the Mariners squandered several opportunities in the game, leaving 12 runners on base, they found a way past a Tarik Skubal-led Tigers.

Cal Raleigh gives props to Mariners starters for excelling in new role in crunch ALDS Game 5

While Skubal put in a historic performance for Detroit in his final postseason start, Mariners starting pitchers Luis Castillo and Logan Gilbert pitched out of the bullpen for the first time in their careers. Cal Raleigh praised the duo for stepping up for the team in a new role.

"It was such a tough night," Raleigh said. "Everyone put their other stuff side and did everything for the team, including Logan and Luis.”

The Mariners will face AL East winners the Toronto Blue Jays, who dominated the New York Yankees in the ALDS, in the championship series. Game 1 of the series is set for Sunday at Rogers Centre.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash