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TEMPE, Ariz. — Nick Bjugstad took the ice for the first time at Mullett Arena on Thursday, the college hockey rink that will house the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes for at least the next three seasons.

He noticed its roughly 5,000 seats. The ones fans will pay not less than $100 to occupy, unless they’re part of the 200 to 400 Arizona State University students paying $25 to sit in the arena’s student section.

He noticed the “Fear The Fork” sign on the wall, the Sun Devils logo on the ice and all the other evidence that an NHL team is now sharing a barn with an NCAA Division I college program.

But mostly, Bjugstad noticed how clean and compact it all looked.

“The intimate setting is something we’ll try to use to our advantage. But we still don’t know what to expect,” said Bjugstad, an 11-year NHL veteran. “We’ll show up, play the same game. I mean, we’re playing in the NHL. There are no complaints.”

After 18 years playing in Glendale, the Coyotes play their first game at a temporary home in Tempe on Friday night when they host the Winnipeg Jets (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+). The Coyotes have a contract to play the next three seasons and potentially a fourth at ASU while they hope a new arena in Tempe is approved and constructed.

Their home opener follows six regular-season games and an entire preseason on the road. Mullett Arena — named for a family that has supported the Sun Devils’ Division I hockey program and the inspiration for a hockey mullet giveaway on opening night — officially opened in early October and hosted its first ASU men’s hockey games on Oct. 14 and 15.

“It’s loud. It’s really loud. The atmosphere was as good as anywhere we’ve played in college hockey,” said Greg Powers, head coach of the Sun Devils, who also noted the speed of the ice was and how “bouncy” the boards are.

Many of the Coyotes players have experienced hockey in smaller buildings, whether it was in juniors or in college or in the minor leagues. To have this kind of setting for an NHL game is something they can’t quite process yet.

“We’re excited. We’re curious. If the fans are into it, that will be a unique experience and a lot of emotion out there,” said Andre Tourigny, the Coyotes’ head coach. “I coached for a long time. If you asked me about the great crowds, you would be shocked. Because it would not be Madison Square Garden. It would be small barns where people are on top of you, and there’s emotion and it’s intimidating.”

Since 2009-10, the Coyotes averaged over 14,000 tickets distributed at their former home in Glendale just once — in the 2019-20 season, when they averaged 14,606. Last season, with the team squarely in a rebuild, that average dropped to 11,601 fans.

The crowds will be smaller at ASU, but the enthusiasm could spike. Coyotes president and CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez said it will be “an unprecedented experience” in the NHL.

“It is going to be loud. It’s going to be electric. Right over my shoulder is going to be a student section,” he said, pointing to the concrete bleachers where everyone from a marching band to former Coyote and current TNT analyst Paul Bissonnette are expected to hang. “You’re going to have that youthful exuberance every single night bringing that energy.”

How the Coyotes ended up in this boisterous new barn is one of the wildest journeys in recent pro sports history.

THE COYOTES’ FORMER home went by many names: Glendale Arena, Jobing.com Arena, Gila River Arena and now the Desert Diamond Arena. It was the city-owned facility where the Coyotes played for 18 seasons after moving from America West Arena out to Glendale in 2003. Owner Steve Ellman, a real estate developer, wanted to build in Scottsdale. That didn’t pan out, so it was off to the West Valley.

Ellman sold the team to trucking magnate Jerry Moyes two years later. Moyes eventually put the Coyotes into bankruptcy in an effort to sell the franchise to BlackBerry billionaire Jim Balsillie, who was going to move them to Hamilton in Canada. That led to the NHL stripping Moyes of his authority as an owner and the league running the Coyotes until a new owner could be found.

The next decade saw owners, real and potential, come and go. There was a moment when it looked like the team would relocate to Seattle, years before the Kraken would join the NHL. The ownership carousel stopped in July 2019, when hedge fund manager Andrew Barroway sold his controlling interest to billionaire Alex Meruelo, who owns the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada, and the Sahara Las Vegas in Las Vegas.

Throughout that decade, the relationship between the Coyotes and the city of Glendale fractured beyond repair. Starting in 2016, the team and the city began a series of one-year lease extensions, despite the Coyotes asking for multiyear extensions. In August 2021, Glendale announced that it was terminating the relationship with the team, effectively evicting the Coyotes from their arena.

“With an increased focus on larger, more impactful events and uses of the city-owned arena, the city of Glendale has chosen to not renew the operating agreement for the Arizona Coyotes beyond the coming 2021-22 season,” the city said in a statement.

The Coyotes said they were determined to remain in Arizona. Their focus was on building a new arena and an entertainment district on city-owned land in Tempe. In the meantime, they needed a place to play. They found a temporary home at Arizona State University’s new multipurpose arena, which would be ready — for the most part — by the 2022-23 NHL season. The Coyotes signed a contract to play at ASU’s 5,000-seat arena for the next three seasons, with an option for a fourth.

“Obviously, this is a temporary solution. We always want to be very clear that our goal is about a mile and a half down Rio Salado Parkway for the permanent facility,” Gutierrez said.

ASU’s $134.7 million project required the Coyotes to absorb $19.7 million in add-ons to make the space NHL-ready. That included a 15,000 gross-square-foot annex built next to the arena that would house NHL-quality locker rooms and training facilities for both the Coyotes and away teams. Gutierrez believes that Meruelo’s total investment is much higher than that.

“If you had an owner who spent $30 million for a temporary solution while he is trying to spend $2 billion for a permanent solution, that should show you the commitment, that should show you the resources and that should show you his will to win,” he said.

As the Coyotes open their multiyear run at Mullett Arena, the team will get a definitive answer on their new arena soon. The Tempe City Council voted in favor of a bid last month to move forward on negotiations for the new arena and entertainment district. The Tempe project has been estimated at $1.7 billion.

Gutierrez said there are three public hearings on the calendar for November regarding the Tempe arena bid, and a vote from the city council will come on Nov. 29.

Even if the arena is approved, the Coyotes aren’t sure when shovels will be in the ground.

“The reality is you do have a potential for litigation and you do have the potential for any referendum that could be called for that. But as far as the city of Tempe’s approval process that is the vote to approve it,” Gutierrez said.

Gutierrez has said the team also has alternate plans around the Tempe site for “Plan B and Plan C,” but that it is confident the current project is the right one. One thing the Coyotes have made clear: They plan on remaining in Arizona and have the support of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to continue to find solutions.

WHEN THINGS WERE going sideways in Glendale, Greg Powers heard the Coyotes were inquiring about temporarily moving to Arizona State.

“Personally, I never thought it would happen. The building was designed for Arizona State hockey and college hockey,” the Sun Devils coach said.

He said he wasn’t worried about the impact the Coyotes’ arrival would have on things like scheduling for the Sun Devils.

“It was never a concern. Not to be too contrite, but it’s our building,” he said. “It will always be our building. It was built for us. It was constructed and came into effect because of our donors. So there was never even a doubt that we wouldn’t get scheduling priority in that building. ASU made that abundantly clear to me, from the infant stages of their conversations.”

Powers added that the Sun Devils already have their schedule set for next season as well.

That priority is a reason why the Coyotes have only two Saturday night home games from October 2022 through March 2023, while they have nine Sunday home games.

There was also a conflict about using locker room facilities before the annex is finished. The Coyotes are using the road team dressing room at Mullett Arena, meaning that their first four visiting opponents — the Jets, New York Rangers, Florida Panthers and Dallas Stars — will use a temporary locker room built atop a covered community rink inside the facility. Video of that setup, which includes free standing metal lockers and temporary walls, went viral this week when it hit social media, as other NHL fans mocked the meager arrangement.

Why couldn’t the Coyotes use the Sun Devils’ locker room? Gutierrez said it was NCAA rules compliance, but a source told ESPN that the ASU men’s hockey team simply didn’t want the hassle of moving another team’s gear in and out of their room.

Powers said it was a bit of both.

“There are some compliance concerns with rubbing elbows with [NHL players], literally sharing a locker room,” he said. “But for my standpoint, most importantly, you’re getting into this whole musical chairs thing, and that’s something I’m not interested in. It’s our locker room. All I care about is that our players aren’t displaced in any way. There’s just no good way to do it. I wish there was, but there isn’t.”

Powers is opening the ASU coaches’ offices to Tourigny and his staff before the annex is built.

The annex is one example for why it was a “no-brainer” to have the Coyotes play at ASU, according to Powers. The Coyotes have spent millions on updating the arena technology for replays and video, as well as for television broadcasts. The ice-making system was upgraded to produce an NHL-quality surface.

“They’re not going to take the building with them. When they leave, they’re going to leave behind a beautiful building with two pro dressing rooms and offices, a medical facility and some workout rooms,” he said. “We’ll have the space to maybe add club teams or maybe a women’s program. We can host NCAA regionals. It just enhances the facility in a major way. We have absolutely benefitted from this and will continue to.”

The greatest benefit, according to Power, would be to help keep an NHL team in Arizona.

“Being instrumental in helping to keep the NHL in our market. To assist and give them a temporary home until this thing in Tempe gets done is something we can be proud of,” he said. “We need the NHL. The NHL being in our market has done so much to grow the game. Look at a kid like Auston Matthews. The game has grown at an exponential pace in our market because the Coyotes are here. We want them to stay.”

And while they’re here, Powers would love to use the Coyotes to boost his program’s profile. That’s as clear as the two logos that share center ice.

“I was selfishly excited about what this does for our program. You can’t walk into that arena and not know that it [belongs to] Arizona State,” he said. “Our brand is going to get out there. That’s good for us.”

COYOTES GENERAL MANAGER Bill Armstrong has talked to his players a lot about the Mullett Arena move.

“I always tell the guys that we’re trying to become the new Tampa Bay Lightning in the league,” he said. “They were at the state where they played out of an airplane hangar at one point, and now they’re a premier franchise in the NHL. We’re trying to make that next step.”

The players have also talked to Armstrong, expressing what they wanted out of this arena.

“You know, back in my day, they told you what to do. It’s totally changed. You know, the players on our team are our partners and they’ve got to be on board with this,” he said. “You’ve got to make them a part of the process of building the training facility, dressing rooms and also coming here. We’ve tried to include ’em in every step that we’ve made.

“As I explained to them: It’s all new. There’s some really good things about it. But I told them it’s also temporary. And whenever you have ‘temporary,’ you’re always missing something. So it’s not completely perfect.”

There are small changes for the players. For example, the tickets that they can secure for friends and family at games due to the capacity.

“Yeah, they’re more expensive,” forward Clayton Keller said with a laugh. “But it’ll be a fun atmosphere.”

There are larger changes for the players, too, like the amount of time they’ll have to spend on the road early this season. The Coyotes played six road games, winning two of them, before this four-game homestand. As the annex is completed, they’ll play 14 straight games on the road before returning to Mullett on Dec. 9 to face the Boston Bruins.

“There’s a good way to look at the schedule and there’s a negative way to look at the schedule,” Armstrong said. “The negative is, you know, it’s probably the worst or the hardest schedule in the NHL off the start. But come December, we get the best schedule in the NHL. So our players are excited about that possibility of coming back and getting through the road trips and keep getting a little bit better.”

The Coyotes are a rebuilding team. Their NHL draft lottery odds for phenom Connor Bedard will likely be more compelling than their season point total.

“You know, it’s hard going through the rebuild because your players are on the ice fighting for their lives and they might not be here in three years,” Armstrong said. “So we try to really not focus on the Connor Bedard sweepstakes as an organization.

“That’s the way you have to dive into it because there’s a lot of negativity that losses can occur. It wears down the team. I think our coaching staff’s done a remarkable job at ignoring the noise and focusing in on getting better every single day. When we do that as an organization, we keep our spirit alive and we keep fighting.”

That said, Armstrong knows what a rebuilding team really needs.

“We need a little luck though. Somebody’s got to fix the [lottery] ball,” he said, with a laugh. “The Coyotes haven’t had a lot of luck with that ball dropping. So we’re going to start a new ritual. I’m a little superstitious.”

It’s all part of the Arizona Coyotes experience. A team in a temporary home, hoping for a city to approve a permanent one. A team in a temporary rebuild, hoping for the lottery balls to bounce the right way. Yet also a team in the entertainment business, hoping to turn one of the NHL’s most unique home ices to its advantage.

“It’s similar to Vegas. They came in and their arena was crazy. It’s the toughest arena to play in because it’s so loud. Maybe it’ll be an advantage for us, too,” Bjugstad said. “But it’s kind of on us to give them something to cheer about.”

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Infant son of NASCAR’s Reddick has chest tumor

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30 mins ago

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October 5, 2025

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Infant son of NASCAR's Reddick has chest tumor

  • Associated Press

Oct 5, 2025, 01:19 PM ET

CONCORD, N.C. — Tyler Reddick raced Sunday with his championship hopes on the line at the same time his infant son has been diagnosed with a tumor in his chest that is affecting his heart.

Rookie Reddick, the second of Tyler and Alexa Reddick’s two boys, was born in May, and Alexa said last week that he has been dealing with serious health complications. The couple provided an update ahead of Sunday’s race at The Roval at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where Reddick was starting from the pole, needing a victory to remain in contention for the Cup Series title.

Alexa Reddick posted a social media update on Rookie’s condition after Reddick’s pole-winning run, saying he has a “tumor that’s ‘choking’ the renal vein & renal artery. Telling the heart ‘Hey I’m not getting enough blood … pump harder.'”

She said it has caused an enlarged heart, and the four-month-old will need a kidney removed because doctors determined it is no longer functioning.

“He will undergo open surgery to remove his right kidney. We’re just not sure when,” she wrote. “Waiting is ok right now to give his heart a break while he’s on BP medication. They expect his heart to fully recover because it was just an innocent bystander. We have answers but a journey ahead to bring our little Cookie home.”

She added that her son was happy spending time blowing bubbles, playing and “interacting with every nurse & doctor that comes in his room.”

Reddick had kept his son’s health situation private until his wife went public before last week’s race at Kansas Speedway when she announced that Rookie was at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte showing signs of heart failure.

Reddick finally addressed Rookie’s health at Charlotte.

“Healthier is probably not the right word, but I’ve never seen him happier. His color looks good. He’s gained weight. A lot of things are going well,” Reddick said. “All that being said, some of the the tougher moments are definitely ahead. We’re definitely not in the clear. There are some things we need to get through first.

“So, on one hand, I’m really happy and it makes me feel great that he’s doing much better right now, but certainly we have some hurdles we have to get through first before we’re even thinking about leaving the hospital or thinking about what comes next.”

Reddick, who made it to the championship-deciding finale, enters Sunday’s race below the cutline of drivers who will be trimmed from 12 to eight after the race. The bottom four — Reddick, his 23XI Racing teammate Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain and Austin Cindric — all likely need a victory Sunday to avoid elimination.

“For me, this weekend where we’re at in points, it just is what it is,” Reddick said. “I’m going to go out there and give it my best effort while I’m here certainly. For me, this week, the elimination, everything that is happening in the racing world is taking a back seat as it should.”

Denny Hamlin, co-owner of Reddick’s car, said 23XI Racing has been supportive and involved in getting Rookie the best care.

“We’ve tried to do everything we could as a company to tap into all the resources that we possibly can, to get him second, third opinions, all the things, get him in contact with specialists,” Hamlin said. “We feel not a relief, but it is a little relief that they kind of understand now what the path is forward, versus, kind of not knowing.

“I could not imagine being in their places. He’s got enough to think about. I’m sure he’s probably breathing a little sigh relief that he still goes there to do his job at a high level, given everything that’s going on off the track.”

Reddick will start alongside Shane van Gisbergen, who has won four races this year on road and street courses. The New Zealander is the heavy favorite, and any driver hoping to avoid playoff elimination will have to beat van Gisbergen.

Reddick, meanwhile, was grateful for the support he and his family have received and reflected on the emotional impact this has had on his family.

“Just countless individuals have helped out,” Reddick said. “Countless individuals have reached out, provided support whatever it might be. It’s been really eye-opening. I agree with my wife this is the hardest thing that I’ve had to go through. … Certainly being away (last week) wasn’t ideal.

“That was a decision me and her came to a conclusion on when I was in Kansas. He was going in the right direction. Yes, like I said, big things ahead that we have to fix, but for that past weekend he was stable and going in the right direction. It was difficult to stay and race [at Kansas], but we were on the same page about it. I just wanted to get off that plane so bad on Sunday night and get back to the hospital.”

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MLB division series Day 1: Takeaways and top moments from four-game Saturday

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4 hours ago

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October 5, 2025

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MLB division series Day 1: Takeaways and top moments from four-game Saturday

Oct 5, 2025, 12:05 AM ET

The 2025 MLB division series started with a bang on a four-game Saturday.

The Milwaukee Brewers rode a six-run first inning to a dominant win over the Chicago Cubs in the first game of the day. A second pair of division rivalries faced off as the Toronto Blue Jays slugged their way to an almost double-digit thumping of the New York Yankees. Then, in a highly anticipated NLDS showdown, Shohei Ohtani started his first career postseason game as the Los Angeles Dodgers took a late lead to secure a win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

In the final matchup of the night, the Detroit Tigers took the lead in the 11th inning to secure a thrilling Game 1 victory against the Seattle Mariners.

We’ve got you covered with all the action from Day 1, from the top moments to postgame takeaways from every matchup.

Key links: Mega-preview | Series outlooks | Bracket | Schedule

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Takeaways | Top Moments

Takeaways

Detroit leads series 1-0

The Tigers nearly collapsed at the end of the end of regular season, barely hung on to a playoff spot and then took two of three in Cleveland. Now, they’ve won Game 1 of the ALDS against Seattle — on the night before their ace, Tarik Skubal, takes the mound. On Saturday, Troy Melton, the rookie right-hander coming off a brutal showing in the wild-card round, provided four quality innings. Kerry Carpenter came up with a big two-run homer against an electric George Kirby. Zach McKinstry provided a two-out, run-scoring single in the 11th inning. And, in the end, Keider Montero retired the top of the Mariners’ order to secure the victory, continuing a dominant effort from basically the entire Detroit bullpen. Keep counting out the Tigers all you want; they keep finding a way. — Alden Gonzalez

Los Angeles leads series 1-0

The Dodgers were reeling. Down 3-0, facing Cristopher Sanchez, at the house of horrors that is Citizens Bank Park, they were at risk of dropping Game 1 against Philadelphia. Then, Enrique Hernández whacked a two-run double that helped chase Sanchez. And Teoscar Hernandez followed with a three-run, opposite-field home run off reliever Matt Strahm. And with Tyler Glasnow, Alex Vesia and Roki Sasaki throwing three scoreless innings, the Dodgers took Game 1 on the strength of their depth more than their stars showing out. Los Angeles showed last October that its depth is as much a hallmark as its stars. As this series continues with the Dodgers having home-field advantage after securing a win on the road, the Phillies know the challenge ahead: There is no such thing as a safe lead against Los Angeles. — Jeff Passan

Toronto leads series 1-0

Add Saturday’s sixth inning to the vault of Aaron Judge‘s October troubles. Toronto’s Kevin Gausman cruised through five scoreless innings, needing just 50 pitches to secure 15 outs, before finding trouble. Anthony Volpe drove a leadoff double, Austin Wells smacked a single, and Trent Grisham walked to load the bases for Judge. The Yankees’ superstar had singled off Gausman in the first inning for his fifth hit (all singles until that point) of this postseason, and Judge has more career home runs off Gausman than any other pitcher in his career. It was a prime opportunity to supply his first major moment in these playoffs. But Judge fell short, striking out on a 3-2 slider down and away that would’ve been ball four. Cody Bellinger followed with a walk to score a run, but that’s all the Yankees scored in the frame — and in the game — after Ben Rice popped out and Giancarlo Stanton struck out.

The Blue Jays, meanwhile, didn’t waste their opportunities. They went 5-for-10 with runners in scoring position as they chased Luis Gil in the third inning and forced the Yankees to use five relievers. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered. Alejandro Kirk homered twice. Rogers Centre, hosting its first postseason game since 2016, roared with each of the 10 runs scored. — Jorge Castillo

Milwaukee leads series 1-0

The decision to start Matthew Boyd on three days’ rest backfired on the Cubs so quickly that it’s impossible not to point to that choice as the turning point in Game 1.

Boyd wasn’t sharp down the stretch of the regular season, and after throwing 58 pitches on Tuesday, there were questions around whehter he could return to the mound so quickly and be effective. It was a head-scratching decision considering the team had a more-than-capable starter in Javier Assad ready to pitch after he was left off the wild-card roster. But Assad didn’t make the NLDS roster either — Cubs manager Craig Counsell called that a tough call — making the whole situation confusing. The Cubs blew this game long before Boyd lasted just two-thirds of an inning in Saturday’s opener. — Jesse Rogers

Top moments from Day 1

Tigers at Mariners

Detroit breaks 2-2 tie in the 11th to take the lead and win Game 1

“Julio” chants are loud in Seattle as J-Rod RBI ties the game

One swing flips the game — and Tigers take the lead

J-Rod gives Seattle crowd its first home playoff home run in 24 years

What a special moment at T-Mobile Park

Dodgers at Phillies

Roki Sasaki earns his first MLB save in Dodgers win

Teoscar Hernandez hits three-run blast to give L.A. its first lead

Dodgers get on the board thanks to a double from Enrique Hernandez

J.T. Realmuto triples to give the Phillies an early lead

Cristopher Sanchez strikes out the side to begin Game 1 — starting with Shohei Ohtani

Yankees at Blue Jays

Jays players hyped after Game 1 win

Toronto piles on with four-run inning

Jays get out of zero-out, bases-loaded jam with just one run given up

Alejandro Kirk joins in on the HR fun

Jays bust out new postseason home run jacket

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. gives the Jays an early lead against Yankees

Cubs at Brewers

Milwaukee finishes off a dominant Game 1

Brewers bat around, put up six runs in first inning

Brewers answer in a hurry

Cubs come out swinging in Milwaukee

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With Skubal up next, Tigers notch ‘huge’ G1 win

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13 hours ago

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October 5, 2025

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With Skubal up next, Tigers notch 'huge' G1 win

  • Alden GonzalezOct 5, 2025, 12:30 AM ET

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      ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.

SEATTLE — Zach McKinstry came to bat against Seattle Mariners right-hander Carlos Vargas with two outs, the score tied and the winning run on second base in Saturday’s 11th inning. A right-handed hitter, the free-swinging Javier Baez, loomed on deck, a much better matchup for Vargas than the left-handed-hitting McKinstry. The Mariners could have elected to intentionally walk him with first base open.

“We talked about it,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “Obviously, Vargy gets the ball on the ground, and that’s what he does best, righty or lefty and, you know, he got the ball on the ground.”

That grounder bounced four times before finding the outfield grass at T-Mobile Park, hit just hard enough to evade a diving J.P. Crawford, plate Spencer Torkelson and send the Detroit Tigers — marked for dead with their season unraveling in epic fashion near the end of September — to a 3-2, extra-inning victory. After winning two of three in Cleveland to overcome the wild-card round, a Tigers team that has spent the last two weeks on the road has taken a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five American League Division Series.

A.J. Hinch, the fifth-year-manager, called these Tigers the “sum-of-the-parts team,” and it showed once again.

It began with Troy Melton, a rookie right-hander used mostly in relief this season, providing four quality innings. Seven relievers — including Keider Montero, a starting pitcher who was called on for a save — followed by holding the Mariners to one run in seven innings. In between, Kerry Carpenter hit a two-run homer and McKinstry provided the clutch single. Now, with ace Tarik Skubal lined up for Game 2, the Tigers have a chance to take a commanding lead in a series few saw them winning.

“It’s huge,” Carpenter said. “To get a win before the best pitcher in the world pitches is pretty special, and I feel like Skubal is made for these moments.”

The last time Melton took the ball, he recorded one out and was charged with four earned runs in the eighth inning of the second wild-card game on Wednesday. Hinch informed him via text on the plane ride to Seattle on Thursday night that he would start Game 1. He described the decision as a reflection of Melton’s stuff and poise, but really, with Skubal, Casey Mize and Jack Flaherty already used this week, Hinch had few other options.

Melton responded with four innings of one-run ball in what amounted to his fifth major league start all year, allowing only a Julio Rodriguez solo homer.

“It was kind of normal for me,” Melton, 24, said. “My parents were here. I got dinner with them last night, breakfast with them today. It was like the same routine as when I pitched in college. That kind of made it a little bit more normal. Obviously this environment is a little bit different, and it means a little bit more than my college games did, but I tried to make it as normal as possible. Once I got out there, it was just about executing pitches.”

Mariners starter George Kirby didn’t just execute early; he dialed up his fastball, using the adrenaline of a home playoff start to throw his fastball consistently in the upper 90s early on, roughly two ticks faster than his season average. Kirby navigated some trouble but kept the Tigers scoreless through the first four innings while striking out eight.

In the fifth, he allowed a one-out single to Parker Meadows and got Gleyber Torres to ground out, bring up Meadows, the left-handed-hitting outfielder who was 4-for-10 with four home runs lifetime against him. Wilson had lefty Gabe Speier warming up in the bullpen, a move that would have prompted Hinch to pinch-hit with the right-handed-hitting Jahmai Jones. But Wilson decided to let Kirby face Carpenter a third time.

“It’s a tough one,” Wilson said, “and you do the best you can and try to take the information that you have and what you’re seeing. And we thought George continued to throw the ball pretty well there and still had pretty good stuff and a lot left in the tank.”

Kirby just missed inside with an 0-2 sinker. He then went to the sinker for a third straight time, but it traveled middle-up, about chest high, and Carpenter sent it 409 feet to give the Tigers a lead.

“I was seeing him well tonight, especially after that first at-bat,” Carpenter said. “I feel like I got my timing back a little bit. And I just wanted to make sure to get a good pitch to hit that at-bat, because they had a base open, and I didn’t know how they were going to pitch me. And so I felt like I was on time and had a good approach there.”

Rodriguez tied the game with an opposite-field single in the sixth, but the Mariners couldn’t do further damage in a half-inning that saw each of their first three hitters reach. Tyler Holton relieved a struggling Rafael Montero and recorded three quick outs. Tommy Kahnle, Kyle Finnegan and Will Vest followed by allowing one baserunner in four innings, setting up the game-winning sequence in the top of the 11th.

Spencer Torkelson drew a leadoff walk against Vargas, a lanky right-hander who can reach triple-digits. Wenceel Perez and Dillon Dingler struck out, but McKinstry turned on a first-pitch, 99.6-mph sinker near the middle of the zone and came up with a base-hit up the middle, deflating a sold-out crowd that has waited 24 years for the Mariners to win a home playoff game.

In the bottom half, Montero faced the top of the Mariners’ lineup and navigated it without much issue, allowing a two-out single to Rodriguez and then coming back to strike out Josh Naylor to record the first save of his pro career.

It was the realization of a dream.

“When I was in little league, they would use me like that,” Montero, a 25-year-old from Venezuela, said in Spanish, “and I always told my teammates in the minor leagues that my dream was to close out a game.”

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