Mariners beat Tigers in longest winner-take-all game in MLB history: How ALDS Game 5 stacks up to other marathon contests originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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No one was happier to watch Friday’s Game 5 of the ALDS than the .
The and were forced to expend every ounce of energy and just about every arm on their pitching staffs to survive a historically long, series-deciding contest that didn’t wrap up until after 1 a.m. on the East Coast.
Back on the West Coast, it was pandemonium. T-Mobile Park erupted when Jorge Polanco laced a walk-off single to right field, sending the Mariners to the ALCS for the first time since 2001 and handing the Tigers an absolutely crushing, season-ending defeat.
Here’s a look at where Friday’s marathon Game 5 ranks among the longest winner-take-all postseason games and more.
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How long did Tigers-Mariners Game 5 take?
The 15-inning contest between the Tigers and Mariners was officially clocked at 4:58, falling two minutes short of five hours. Still, it became the longest winner-take-all game in postseason history by both innings and time.
MORE:How Tarik Skubal dominated Mariners in Game 5
Longest winner-take-all MLB games
Tigers vs. Mariners is officially the longest winner-take-all postseason game in MLB history by innings, beating out the 2018 NL Wild Card Game between the and . Here’s the leaderboard:
| Teams | Series | Date | Innings | Game Length | Result |
| Tigers vs. Mariners | ALDS | Oct. 10, 2025 | 15 | 4 hours, 58 minutes | Mariners win 3-2 |
| Rockies vs. Cubs | Wild Card | Oct. 3, 2018 | 13 | 4 hours, 55 minutes | Rockies win 2-1 |
| Athletics vs. Royals | Wild Card | Sept. 30, 2014 | 12 | 4 hours, 45 minutes | Royals win 9-8 |
| Senators vs. Giants | World Series | Oct. 10, 1924 | 12 | 3 hours | Senators win 4-3 |
Before 2018, the 2014 AL Wild Card Game between the and sat as the longest winner-take-all postseason game by time and was tied for the longest by innings at 12.
MORE:Biggest comebacks in MLB postseason history
Longest games in playoff history
Tigers vs. Mariners isn’t quite the longest game in postseason history. That title is shared by four contests, all of which have come in the 21st century. Here’s the full list:
| Teams | Series | Date | Innings | Game Length | Result |
| Red Sox vs. Dodgers | World Series | Oct. 26, 2018 | 18 | 7 hours, 20 minutes | Dodgers win 3-2 |
| Giants vs. Nationals | NLDS | Oct. 4, 2014 | 18 | 6 hours, 23 minutes | Giants win 2-1 |
| Mariners vs. Astros | ALDS | Oct. 15, 2022 | 18 | 6 hours, 22 minutes | Astros win 1-0 |
| Braves vs. Astros | NLDS | Oct. 9, 2005 | 18 | 5 hours, 50 minutes | Astros win 7-6 |
| Mets vs. Astros | NLCS | Oct. 15, 1986 | 16 | 4 hours, 42 minutes | Mets win 7-6 |
| Braves vs. Mets | NLCS | Oct. 17, 1999 | 15 | 5 hours, 46 minutes | Mets win 4-3 |
| Mariners vs. Yankees | ALDS | Oct. 4, 1995 | 15 | 5 hours, 12 minutes | Yankees win 7-5 |
| Tigers vs. Mariners | ALDS | Oct. 10, 2025 | 15 | 4 hours, 58 minutes | Mariners win 3-2 |
| Mets vs. Royals | World Series | Oct. 27, 2015 | 14 | 5 hours, 9 minutes | Royals win 5-4 |
| Rangers vs. Blue Jays | ALDS | Oct. 9, 2015 | 14 | 4 hours, 57 minutes | Rangers win 6-4 |
| White Sox vs. Astros | World Series | Oct. 25, 2005 | 14 | 5 hours, 41 minutes | White Sox win 7-5 |
| Yankees vs. Red Sox | ALCS | Oct. 18, 2004 | 14 | 5 hours, 49 minutes | Red Sox win 5-4 |
| Robins vs. Red Sox | World Series | Oct. 9, 1916 | 14 | 2 hours, 32 minutes | Red Sox win 2-1 |
The Braves and Astros became the first teams to play 18 innings in a playoff game during Game 4 of the 2005 NLDS. They were later joined by the Giants vs. Nationals in the 2014 NLDS, the Red Sox vs. Dodgers in the 2018 World Series, and the Mariners vs. Astros in the 2022 ALDS.
Exhaustion didn’t seem to hold them back. The 2005 Astros, 2014 Giants, and 2022 Astros all went on to reach the World Series, while the Red Sox and Dodgers were already competing there.
Longest games in baseball history
Tigers vs. Mariners still had a long way to go to touch the longest games in MLB history, a list led by a 26-inning, 1-1 tie between the Brooklyn Robins:
| Teams | Date | Innings | Game Length | Result |
| Robins vs. Braves | May 1, 1920 | 26 | 3 hours, 50 minutes | Tied 1-1 |
| Cardinals vs. Mets | Sept. 11, 1974 | 25 | 7 hours, 4 minutes | Cardinals win 4-3 |
| Brewers vs. White Sox | May 8, 1984 | 25 | 8 hours, 6 minutes | White Sox win 7-6 |
| Athletics vs. Americans | Sept. 1, 1906 | 24 | 4 hours, 40 minutes | Athletics win 4-1 |
| Tigers vs. Athletics | July 21, 1945 | 24 | 4 hours, 48 minutes | Tied 1-1 |
| Mets vs. Astros | April 15, 1968 | 24 | 6 hours, 6 minutes | Astros win 1-0 |
If another game is going to join this list, it’s almost certainly going to have to come in the postseason due to extra inning rules that put an automatic runner on second base during the regular season. Few games last beyond 12 innings under the current format, but the “ghost runner” is eliminated during the postseason.
