If you stayed up for the decisive Game 5 between the Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers, it was worth every second.

In a game that lasted roughly five hours and ended after 1 a.m. ET, the Mariners are headed to their first American League Championship Series in 24 years after a 3-2 win in a 15-inning marathon.

Both teams were kept scoreless from the top of the eighth through the top of the 15th, but the Mariners finally pulled through with Jorge Polanco’s bases-loaded single to send them to the ALCS and end the longest winner-take-all game in history.

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Detroit wasted a stellar performance by Tarik Skubal, who struck out 13 while pitching six innings of one-run ball. The soon-to-be two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner was taken out of the game with a 2-1 lead, and the Tigers’ bullpen promptly allowed the tying run in the seventh.

It did not help matters that the Tigers went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left 10 on base, with their only two runs coming on a two-run home run by Kerry Carpenter in the sixth. Seattle was hardly better, leaving a dozen on, but they were the ones who came through.

The phrase “everyone is available in October” was well put to use. After both starters, George Kirby and Skubal, left the game, three other starting pitchers were used. The Tigers had Jack Flaherty go for two innings on two days’ rest, while both Logan Gilbert (also two days) and Luis Castillo, the winning pitcher, got some action.

Seattle Mariners second baseman Jorge Polanco hits a walk-off single against the Detroit Tigers during the 15th inning of Game 5 of the American League Division Series at T-Mobile Park. (Steven Bisig/Imagn Images)

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“I know we played a long game, but this team never gave up,” Polanco said. “I know there is a lot of emotion, but we are always trying to keep it simple. I’m just trying to go out there and play and trying to get the win.”

“Just an incredible ballgame from top to bottom,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said.

“It was such a tough night,” Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh said. “Everyone put their other stuff side and did everything for the team, including Logan and Luis.” It was Gilbert’s first relief outing since 2017, when he was at Stetson University.

Detroit’s season officially ended in heartbreak with a touch of what could have been, as this series probably should have been taking place in Michigan. The Tigers held a double-digit lead in the AL Central in early September but squandered it. They salvaged that by taking down the Cleveland Guardians, who hosted the Wild Card Series after overtaking Detroit in the standings, but this is certainly now how they envisioned going home.

Detroit Tigers left fielder Riley Greene watches Seattle Mariners players celebrate on the field as he exits after the Tigers’ 3-2 loss in 15 innings at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (Junfu Han/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

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The Mariners will now face the Toronto Blue Jays for the pennant, and an entire generation of fans will see one of these teams in the World Series for the first time. The Blue Jays have not been in the Fall Classic since 1993, while the Mariners have never made it past the ALCS.

Game 1 is Sunday in Toronto at 8:03 p.m. ET.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Reshad Jones, who spent nine seasons with the Miami Dolphins, settled his lawsuit against financial services Merrill Lynch.

The former NFL safety was awarded $9.5 million after alleging a former financial advisor at the company defrauded him for an estimated $2.6 million. The settlement was agreed upon in August, but public reporting on the case was not made available until this week.

According to a June 25 arrest report, Isaiah Williams — Jones’ former financial adviser and a former employee of Merrill Lynch — used his position to gain access to Jones’ personal financial accounts to steal $1.56 million in 133 separate transactions. Another $1.03 million was stolen through a complicated laundering scheme involving bank and cash app transfers between Williams and a Georgia-based woman, Octivia Monique Graham. Jones told investigators he had never met the woman.

The settlement with Merrill Lynch took place in August but began receiving pickup this week, when Investment News reported on it. Jones, who played 10 NFL seasons—all with Miami—originally sought $16 million in damages in his complaint, filed with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), a private organization that oversees brokerage firms and is supervised by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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The two-time Pro Bowler accused his former financial advisor, Isaiah Thomas Williams Jr., of defrauding him. Without admitting or denying the allegations, Thomas voluntarily resigned from Merrill Lynch in December, according to FINRA records. Thomas is now prohibited from acting as a broker “or otherwise associating with a broker-dealer firm,” according to FINRA, which says he did not cooperate with its investigation into the situation.

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Williams’s headaches did not begin and end with the FINRA complaint. He was also arrested in Florida in June, and charged with grand theft, fraud, and money laundering, according to Broward County criminal court records. Those records also show he was released in July on a $1 million bond.

Miami Dolphins free safety Reshad Jones (20) celebrates a victory against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Oct. 15, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Brett Davis/USA TODAY Sports)

Williams allegedly stole the total of almost $2.6 million through 133 separate transactions, and with another individual, Octavia Graham, who was also charged in Broward County, court records show. Williams allegedly used the money for personal expenses, including strip clubs and airline tickets.

In July, attorneys for Jones—Chase Carlson of Carlson Law and Jeff Sonn of Sonn Law—issued a statement calling the case “yet another troubling example of a professional athlete being exploited by a wealth management firm he trusted.”

Reshad Jones (20) of the Miami Dolphins in action against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Hard Rock Stadium on Dec. 23, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Mark Brown/Getty Images)

“In this case, the wrongdoer was a Vice President at one of the world’s largest financial institutions—Bank of America’s investment management division, Merrill Lynch,” they said. The attorneys did not respond to a request for comment Friday.

Jones, who last played in the NFL in 2019, is not nearly the first athlete to be defrauded by their financial advisor. Former Bulls forward Toni Kukoc is currently suing his former friend and financial advisor in Illinois for allegedly helping a Swiss bank embezzle more than $11 million from him over the course of multiple years. Ex-Spurs star Tim Duncan was also famously swindled out of millions of dollars by his former financial advisor in 2016.

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“It’s all too common for athletes to hand over the keys to their kingdom to a financial advisor,” Kelly Richmond Pope, a professor of forensic accounting, told Front Office Sports earlier this year. 

She cautioned athletes: “Beware of anyone who tells you ‘I have everything covered, don’t worry.’”

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The Argentina national team, playing without Lionel Messi, beat Venezuela 1-0 on Friday in a friendly at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

Messi was at the stadium watching the match from the stands with his family.

“I decided that Leo [Messi] would not play,” said Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni.

“We wanted to try Lautaro [Martinez] and Julian [Alvarez] and had Jose Manuel Lopez on the bench. I thought it was a valid option. In the end, Flaco [Jose Manuel Lopez] couldn’t enter the game, so he’ll enter the next one. But it was my decision, simply that.”

Despite his absence, La Albiceleste triumphed against Venezuela with a lone goal by Giovani Lo Celso after connecting with teammate Lautaro Martínez to find the back of the net. Argentina managed to dominate in the final third to record 19 shots, 11 on target, against the South American rival.

When asked if Messi would be available to feature in the team’s upcoming friendly against Puerto Rico on October 14, Scaloni remained hopeful.

“Let’s hope Messi can be there on Tuesday, we’ll see how things unfold in the coming days.”

Messi’s Inter Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul began the game on the bench for Argentina, substituting in the second half for Atlético Madrid star Julián Álvarez.

Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano, however, welcomed the opportunity to see Messi play with the club when facing Atlanta United at Chase Stadium on Saturday night in a regular-season Major League Soccer match, just one day after Argentina’s friendly against Venezuela, before insisting he had not spoken to the player about his involvement.

“I’d love it. Imagine being able to have Leo Messi, but the reality is he hasn’t been with us, and I’ll repeat this because we’re talking about Leo,” said Mascherano. “But there’s Rodrigo [De Paul], there’s Telasco, yes…Messi can play at any time, obviously. The issue afterward is that I can’t talk to you about something that’s counterfactual because he’s not with us, and the truth is, I haven’t spoken to Leo. I haven’t spoken to Leo. Now we’ll see tonight what happens.”

Though Inter Miami already qualified for the 2025 MLS playoffs, the team continues to aim for a higher place on the Eastern Conference table to ensure home-field advantage in the post-season.

Argentina added that Franco Mastantuono would miss the remainder of the camp due to a left thigh injury.