Mariners postseason preview: Skubal returns to Seattle, Woo’s ALDS status uncertain
Whenever Detroit’s schedule brings him back to Seattle, Tarik Skubal sets time aside to return to where it all started.
Nestled between the eastern blocks of Interstate 5 and Cherry Hill sits Seattle University, where the Detroit ace’s baseball career blossomed. The private, Division-I program offered Skubal his only scholarship as a high school senior out of Kingman, Ariz., in 2014 — and despite his ascension to becoming one of the best left-handers on the planet, he visits his alma mater every year when the Tigers play the Mariners at T-Mobile Park each regular season.
Skubal’s last visit came just after Opening Day 2025, when the Mariners hosted the Tigers from March 31 to April 2. He threw 5.2 respectable innings in the finale — allowing three earned runs with three walks and eight strikeouts in a 3-2 loss — but not before Skubal arrived at Bellevue’s Bannerwood Park to attend a Redhawks practice, watch and offer advice to Seattle U pitchers, and pose for team pictures on the mound he once considered his own.
It’s an annual venture most years, but Skubal is back in Seattle before the calendar flips for the biggest game he’s ever thrown in the Pacific Northwest. The Tigers advanced to the American League Division Series (ALDS) to face the Mariners, and the Seattle U alum is unofficially slated to start Sunday’s Game 2 at T-Mobile Park, barring a rotation shift.
“Yeah, I should be lined up for that,” Skubal told the Detroit Free Press this week, asked about his next scheduled postseason start. “It means a lot. I get to go home. I’ll have some friends and family in the stands. It’s another good opportunity to go out there and compete.”
Skubal silenced the Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card series on Tuesday, striking out 14 batters with three hits and one run allowed across 7.2 fantastic frames in a 2-1 win. The AL’s reigning Cy Young Award winner is favored to repeat the honor, posting a 13-6 record and 2.21 ERA with 241 strikeouts (195.1 IP) as Detroit’s ace.
Seattle University’s all-time leader in wins, opponent batting average, and earned run average for a starting pitcher was selected by the Tigers in the ninth round of the 2018 MLB Draft, debuting in a pandemic-condensed 2020 season. And he’s only getting better: one of baseball’s best at inducing whiffs and avoiding hard contact, Skubal set career-highs in strikeouts and ERA this season.
It led him home. The 28-year-old has the chance to quiet a sold-out crowd in Seattle as the Mariners aim for their first American League Championship Series appearance since 2001.
The Tigers last reached the ALCS in 2013 before falling to the World Series-champion Boston Red Sox, but it was this year’s Detroit team that blew the largest divisional lead in MLB’s history. Ahead of the Cleveland Guardians by 15.5 games on July 8, the Tigers stumbled to a 7-17 September record and watched the AL Central slip away. Revenge arrived in the form of Skubal, who shut down the Guardians in Game 1 of the Wild Card before Detroit eliminated Cleveland with a 6-3 win in Thursday’s all-or-nothing Game 3.
“It doesn’t really matter how we got here,” Skubal said Tuesday night. “We got in. Everybody’s in the same boat.
“It doesn’t really matter how you get here as long as you get in.”
It’s what can make postseason baseball equally magical and soul-crushing: The Mariners and Tigers are 0-0. First game of Saturday’s ALDS Game 1 is scheduled for 5:38 p.m. PDT.
WOO’S STATUS UNCERTAIN, KIRBY NAMED GAME 1 STARTER
Bryan Woo anchored one of the league’s best rotations all summer long, throwing a franchise-record 25 consecutive starts with at least six innings pitched — but the Mariners enter the ALDS with an unclear status of their best pitcher.
The 25-year-old’s last appearance ended early and abruptly with pectoral tightness, a Sept. 19 start at Houston after Woo had thrown five sparkling, one-hit innings. The Mariners won a monumental game, 4-0, at a startling cost that now begs a pressing question: Will Woo throw in the ALDS?
Woo dressed in full uniform Thursday at T-Mobile Park, throwing a scheduled bullpen session and making his first return to the mound to pitch to live hitters.
“Positive day,” he told reporters. “Still not where I want to be in terms of game speed of everything, but in terms of how everything’s progressed, I’m happy with it.
“Considering a week ago, I wasn’t even throwing yet… a week from now, hopefully we’ll be in a better spot.
“Still just taking it day by day. … Just baby steps right now. I’m getting closer.”
Woo threw roughly 40 pitches between his bullpen session (25) and live simulation on the mound (15), per MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer. Assuming Woo’s aforementioned one-week timeline to return, he could appear in a pivotal Game 5 of the ALDS next Friday at T-Mobile Park, if the Mariners and Tigers split the first four.
What is certain: Woo and the Mariners are being particularly careful with their young star. Seattle manager Dan Wilson announced Friday that George Kirby will start Game 1 on Saturday, followed by Luis Castillo in Sunday’s Game 2.
“I think it’s just building up correctly,” Woo said. “You want to be smart about it. It doesn’t do any good to recklessly come out and throw as hard as I can just to see a number. It’s got to be done the right way.
“I’m just putting my trust in the coaching staff, the training staff, and listening to what they say. They were happy with today, so I’m happy with it.”
In 30 starts for the Mariners this season, Woo went 15-7 with a 2.94 ERA, posting 198 strikeouts and 36 walks.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Cal Raleigh, catcher — Few players have expressed more of a desire to bring a World Series title to Seattle than ‘Big Dumper.’ The frustration mounted after postseason near-misses in 2023-24 until a historic 2025, when Raleigh launched a franchise-record 60 home runs and lifted the Mariners to their first AL West title since 2001. Will he lift the trident for the home crowd again this weekend?
Julio Rodriguez, center fielder — It’s become a summer tradition: The J-Rod Show bubbles beneath the surface in the springtime before a full-fledged, second-half breakout. Rodriguez became the first player in MLB history with 20+ homers and 20+ stolen bases in each of his first four seasons, hitting .299 with 21 home runs and 51 RBI in Seattle’s final 68 games (July 11-Sept. 28).
Andres Munoz, closer — The flamethrower fans have dubbed “Senor Smoke” slammed ninth-inning doors with 38 saves and a 1.73 ERA, notching his second All-Star selection this summer. Munoz held opponents to a .167 batting average and struck out 83 batters in 62.1 innings.
ALDS TICKET PRICES SKY-HIGH
Want Mariners tickets for the postseason? Prepare to pay a pretty penny.
Tickets for Games 1 and 2 of the ALDS sold out in minutes — but plenty are still available on secondary resale websites, like StubHub.
Here are get-in prices for Game 1 by section at T-Mobile Park as of Friday afternoon:
View Level (300 Level) — $232
Center Field Bleachers — $241
Left Field Bleachers — $289
Right Field (100) — $357
Club Level (200) — $390
Main Level (100) — $455
This story was originally published October 3, 2025 at 2:40 PM.
