The Yankees and their fans finally saw some signs of life on Tuesday. Aaron Judge delivered with a signature moment, potentially changing this entire series, ultimately helping to send that series to at least a fourth game. It was finally a day to remember for the Yankees to remember in the 2025 Division Series, though there was just one other game taking place around the league on Tuesday (the NL will be back in action today).
With the ALDS locked at 1-1, the Mariners and Tigers were set to break
that tie in Detroit in the afternoon.
American League Division Series Game 3
Mariners 8, Tigers 4
(Mariners lead, 2-1)
Game 3 of this side of the American League Division Series was set to begin around 4pm eastern in Detroit, but shabby weather kept this one delayed for three-plus hours. Despite the wet and delayed beginning to Game 3, at least one of the squads still came out of the gates hot, and never really bothered to turn around.
Despite coming home with the series tied for their first home game since September 21st, the Tigers simply couldn’t keep up with the Mariners in this one, putting Seattle just one win away from its first Championship Series in 24 years. At this time tomorrow, they could be locked in and ready to play for the first pennant in franchise history.
This one saw Logan Gilbert for the M’s pitted against Jack Flaherty for the Cats. Flaherty, as talented of a pitcher as he is, is susceptible to a bad start or two, and Tigers fans saw just that side of him in Game 3. Both he and Gilbert kept this once quiet through the first two innings, before the Seattle bats woke up in the third. Victor Robles led the frame off with a double, and a J.P. Crawford single seemed to have him content at third base, before the slow-rolling throw into home somehow slipped through the legs of the Tigers’ backstop, allowing Robles to score and give his squad the early lead.
Randy Arozarena pitched in during the next at-bat with a single that put the Mariners ahead 2-0 after three innings. An inning later, Seattle doubled that lead, beginning with Eugenio Suárez’s booming leadoff homer, followed by an RBI knock from Cal Raleigh that had the M’s now ahead 4-0.
While the offense was building a lead, Logan Gilbert was doing his part and then some on the bump. The right-hander allowed a hit in each of the first three innings, but was able to avoid any drama despite them, before striking out a pair in his 1-2-3 fourth inning. With that four-run lead in hand, he encountered his first trouble in the fifth inning, when Kerry Carpenter scratched across a run with a productive groundout. That would be all the Tigers would make of the inning, and all they could really muster against Gilbert. In his six terrific innings, the 28-year-old righty allowed just the one run on four hits, striking out seven Detroit batters.
The Mariners countered the Detroit score an inning later anyhow, when Crawford salvaged the top of the sixth with a two-out solo homer into right field. Two innings later, the Seattle shortstop struck again with a sacrifice fly, vaulting Seattle ahead 6-1 with hope now dwindling for the Tigers in Game 3.
In the top half of the ninth, the Mariners’ lineup put the finishing touches on this one. After Arozarena led the frame off with a double, Cal Raleigh, as he did 60 times in the regular season, sent a ball into the seats (finding an appropriate home).
The Big Dumper blast put the Mariners ahead 8-1, and gave them plenty of room for error in the ninth, some of which they would use. Hits from Spencer Torkelson and Andy Ibáñez against former Yankees lefty Caleb Ferguson cut the Tigers’ deficit to four runs in the bottom half, but Seattle called upon Andrés Muñoz to end the funny business. The score would remain at the final of 8-4.
The homer ball was working wonders for the Mariners in Game 3, while Gilbert easily outdueled Jack Flaherty on the bump. The M’s and their fans are now on the brink of their first playoff success in some time, taking on the Tigers in a potential clincher Wednesday, with Game 4 scheduled for a 3:08 EDT first pitch. Detroit will deploy All-Star Casey Mize, desperate to force a winner-take-all Game 5 with ace Tarik Skubal on Saturday in Seattle. Due to the Bryan Woo injury, the M’s do have to start Bryce Miller today after a 5.68 ERA campaign, so if the Tigers’ offense doesn’t wake up against Miller, then a long winter awaits.
As an aside, really enjoy today while you can! It will be the last time in 2025 that there will be four games on the slate, and there’s even a chance that all four Division Series could end today as well — though of course we want the Yankees to make a Game 5 in Toronto necessary.
Seattle Mariners vs. Detroit Tigers
Mariners lead, 2-1
(RHP Bryce Miller vs. RHP Casey Mize)
Time: 3:08 p.m. ET
TV: FS1
Venue: Comerica Park (Detroit, MI)
Chicago Cubs vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Brewers lead, 2-0
(RHP Jameson Taillon vs. RHP Quinn Priester)
Time: 5:08 p.m. ET
TV: TBS
Venue: Wrigley Field (Chicago, IL)
New York Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Blue Jays lead, 2-1
(Bullpen Game with RHP Louis Varland vs. RHP Cam Schlittler)
Time: 7:08 p.m. ET
TV: FS1
Venue: Yankee Stadium (Bronx, NY)
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Philadelphia Phillies
Dodgers lead, 2-0
(RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. RHP Aaron Nola)
Time: 9:08 p.m. ET
TV: TBS
Venue: Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles, CA)
