Extra-inning playoff thriller recalls SF Giants 18-inning epic

Friday night saw a MLB playoff classic as the Seattle Mariners and Detroit Tigers went 15 innings in Game 5 of their ALDS series with the Mariners emerging victorious. The game brought to mind another extra-inning epic during the SF Giants dynasty of the 2010's.

Back in 2014 during San Francisco's NLDS matchup against the Washington Nationals, Game 2 was an epic thriller that went 18 innings and over six hours long. It only ended after the always-underrated Brandon Belt hit a home run in the top of the 18th to give the Giants a one-run lead.

Mariners-Tigers extra innings classic recalls SF Giants 18-inning thriller

That was enough as the Giants had to call upon Hunter Strickland, who gave up a record-breaking six home runs that postseason, to shut the door. In his finest moment as a Giant, he was able to get the final three outs.

It was such a long game that it is easy to forget everything else that happened other than the Belt home run. Tim Hudson started the game for the Giants and was masterful, delivering 7 and 1/3 innings while only allowing one run to keep the Giants right in the game.

Madison Bumgarner gets a ton of deserved praise for the legendary things he did that postseason, but a lot of it may not have been possible without a really strong start from Jake Peavy in Game 1 of the NLDS followed by Hudson's great start in Game 2.

The score was 1-0 going into the ninth inning and the Giants tied it up with a double from Pablo Sandoval that scored Joe Panik from second but Buster Posey got thrown out at home trying to score from first.

The game went on nine more innings after that and the unsung hero was Yusmeiro Petit who delivered six scoreless innings out of the bullpen in that game. It was a remarkable effort that can be easy to forget but without delivering what amounted to a quality start out of the bullpen, Belt's homer would not have been possible. The rest was history as the Giants went on to win their third World Series in five years just a few weeks later.

Seattle played an 18-inning game just a few years ago in the 2022 ALDS versus the Houston Astros so that team has grown accustomed to marathon playoff games. What made this extra-innings game between the Mariners and Tigers so special is that it occurred in an elimination game.

While there was drama between the Giants and Nationals, both teams knew they were still alive no matter what happened in that game. The fact that every moment could mean the end of your season is what makes Friday's extra inning epic even more special.

The Giants may not be in the playoffs, but at least wild games like Friday's can remind fans of some of the fond memories from the championship years.