Morning Briefing: Mariners Outlast Tigers in Instant Classic

Good morning, Mets fans!

The Mariners defeated the Tigers in the 15-inning winner-take-all Game 5 on Friday night to advance to the ALCS.

Tarik Skubal and George Kirby both pitched well as the starters before the bullpens took over in a grueling yet thrilling game. Jorge Polanco won it with a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 15th.

With their victory, the Mariners are headed to the ALCS and will face the Blue Jays with a trip to the World Series on the line.

Now, the Cubs and Brewers battle in their own Game 5 at 8:08 p.m. ET. Chances are this one won’t go 15 innings.

Latest MLB News

Per ESPN‘s Jorge Castillo, Cody Bellinger plans to opt out of his contract with the Yankees and become a free agent. Bellinger had a fantastic first season with the Yankees, recording 29 home runs, 98 RBIs and an .813 OPS. Bellinger also said he would “absolutely” be open to a return to the Bronx.

Per Sam Blum of The Athletic, the Angels are currently in talks with Albert Pujols about their open manager position. According to Blum, a meeting between Pujols and Angels GM Perry Minasian went well, and the two sides are discussing a contract.

MLB announced that Jose Iglesias is suspended for a game and Xander Bogaerts was fined for how they acted towards umpires following their exit in the Wild Card round.

After the Dodgers advanced to the NLCS, Miguel Rojas told Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation that he plans to retire after the 2026 season.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com analyzes what Munetaka Murakami‘s market in MLB free agency might look like once he gets posted.

Nippon Professional Baseball released a new app, NPB+, which contains Trackman data such as max exit velocity and bat speed. This data was not previously public.

Latest on MMO

Jack Markowski writes about Eric Chavez‘s recent comments on Juan Soto and Carlos Mendoza.

Rafael González grades Francisco Lindor‘s 2025 season.

On the latest MMO Roundtable, we discuss what Pete Alonso‘s next contract will look like and who he will be playing for.

On This Date in Mets History

1969: The Mets played in their first World Series game in franchise history. New York lost Game 1 to the Baltimore Orioles, 4-1. Tom Seaver didn’t have his best game, allowing four runs over five innings. Al Weis recorded the team’s only RBI.

Born on This Date: Jenrry Mejía (1989), Ty Wigginton (1977), Orlando Hernández (1965), Charlie Williams (1947), Joe Ginsberg (1926).

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