“You get service in Cancun?” “The king has spoken!” - Fans react as Francisco Lindor posts 2-word comment to sum up Mariners-Tigers game

For the first time since 2001, the Mariners are advancing to the American League Championship Series after a marathon 3-2 victory against the Tigers in Game 5 of the ALDS. The contest took 15 long innings and was only settled after a walk-off single from Jorge Polanco off Tommy Kahnle that sent the crowd in a meltdown. One close watcher of the high-intensity contest was Mets star Francisco Lindor.

The shortstop even went as far as too share a two-word statement about how he thought of the contest. This led to fans making differing statements about the star who wasn't able to reach this year's postseason after his Mets fell short of the finish line on the final day of the season.

"Wild game," said Lindor on X.

Unlike how the Mets' season ended on a whimper, both the Mariners and Tigers left it all on the field in what would be look backed upon as one of the best postseason games of all time.

The Mariners will now play the Blue Jays in the ALCS in what is shaping up to be an offensive masterclass from both sides.

Mariners outlast Tigers in Game 5 to advance to ALCS

The Mariners were triumphant in one of the longest duels in MLB postseason history after eliminating the Tigers in Game 5 of the ALDS after 15 innings. Per baseball statistician Sarah Langs, the game was the longest winner-take-all game in MLB history in terms of innings played having surpassed the 2013 NL Wild Card encounter between the Rockies annd Cubs that lasted 13 innings.

There were actually just sparing base hits for the majority of regulation time as Tigers ace Tarik Skubal and Mariners starter George Kirby put on a show in the Emerald City. Skubal was pulled after six innings after tallying the most strikeouts in a winner-take-all postseason contest with 13. He let on just one run on two base hits with no walks issued. Similarly, Kirby was in prime form as he issued just one run on three base hits with six strikeouts in five innings.

With the Tigers leading 2-1 at the bottom of the seventh inning, long-time minor leaguer Leo Rivas stepped up at the plate to pinch hit on his birthday, no less. Luck seemed to be on his side as he clobbered an RBI single to left field in his maiden postseason at-bat to bring home Jorge Polanco.

Polanco would then return the favor in extras as he walked off the game on a bases loaded situation off veteran hurler Tommy Kahnle to seal the game and a trip to Toronto for Game 1 of the ALCS.

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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Edited by Daniel Santiago