SEATTLE — That was the only way this could end if the scriptwriters had any sense.

No other outcome was feasible if the baseball gods had a code.

So many times throughout the evening it looked as though the Tigers were going to leave T-Mobile Park pin-drop quiet. Instead, the Mariners had their mic-drop moment.

In the bottom of the 15th inning — in the longest winner-take-all game in MLB history — Jorge Polanco delivered a one-out single that scored J.P. Crawford and gave Seattle a 3-2 victory over Detroit in Game 5 of the ALDS. After a buffet of missed opportunities in that four hour and 58 minute contest, the M's finally came through to advance to the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2001.

The 47,025 fans never stopped believing, with their screams as loud in the 15th as they were in the first. And if you're looking for a license to believe this club can win their first World Series ... have at it.

This, after all, is not a Cinderella Mariners team. They aren't waiting for the clock to strike midnight (even if it almost got there Friday night).

They are a loaded roster who twice took down the best pitcher in baseball this series — and they'll likely be more powerful going forward.

More on the future in a second, first the past.

After the Mariners dropped Game 4 in Detroit Wednesday night, the odds of them winning the series looked slim. In order to do so, they would have to win yet another game with pitcher Tarik Skubal — the favorite to win the AL Cy Young Award — starting for the Tigers. Didn't seem likely, even if they beat him twice in the regular season and again in Game 2.

But in the second inning, Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor doubled to left field off Skubal, stole third, then scored on a Mitch Garver sacrifice fly to give the Mariners a 1-0 lead. You need every small victory possible to get an actual victory against Tarik, but this was it.

Seattle, meanwhile, went with George Kirby as its starting pitcher — a controversial decision given how dominant Luis Castillo was in his last start.

But Kirby exceeded expectations, going five scoreless innings before being yanked after giving up a leadoff double in the sixth. Unfortunately for the Mariners, reliever Gabe Speier allowed a two-run home run off Kerry Carpenter on the next at-bat, giving the Tigers a 2-1 lead.

The way Skubal was going, this looked like it might be enough for Detroit. The Seattle U product struck out 13 batters in six innings and set a postseason record with seven consecutive Ks.

But remember ... small victories, right? Amid Skubal's dominance, the Mariners were able to hit 29 foul balls and run Tarik's pitch count up to 99 through six innings. This was enough to make Detroit manager AJ Hinch yank Skubal before the bottom of the seventh. It seemed like a bad decision at the time. The M's proved as much over the next five at-bats.

After Seattle center fielder Julio Rodriguez flied out to center, Tigers reliever Kyle Finnegan walked Polanco. And after Seattle third baseman Eugenio Suarez flied out to right, Naylor singled to right and moved Polanco to second. This spawned another pitching change, pitting Tyler Holton against Mariners pinch-hitter Leo Rivas. The result? Rivas singling home Polanco to tie the score at 2-2.

The Washington football team was playing Rutgers when this happened. They probably heard Mariners fans' collective roar from Husky Stadium on that hit.

All the momentum was on the Mariners' side at this point. What followed? Seven and a half scoreless innings from both teams.

On one end, you have to commend Seattle's pitching. Matt Brash went two innings. Andrés Muñoz went 1 1/3. Usual starter Logan Gilbert pitched the 10th and the 11th. Eduard Bazardo threw 2 2/3 while Castillo went 1 1/3. No Tiger got a run off any of them. It was reminiscent of the 18-inning loss to the Astros in Game 3 of the 2022 ALDS.

Except for the result. These Mariners weren't losing this.

Who cares if they had multiple chances in extra innings with a runner on second and less than two outs? Who cares if botched bunts or double plays led to squandered opportunities?

This was their moment. Their series. And maybe, just maybe, their year.

It's quite possible the M's get starting pitcher Bryan Woo back when they take on the Blue Jays in the ALCS, which begins Sunday in Toronto. And though the Jays are more talented than the Tigers, the Mariners have already proven no moment is too big.

Friday, they dropped the mic. Don't be surprised if Toronto — and whoever might come later — gets dropped as well.

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