All arms on deck: Gilbert, Castillo join stout bullpen effort in Game 5

SEATTLE -- Thirty years ago, Randy Johnson stepped out of the bullpen at the Kingdome in relief for the first time after one of many dominant seasons, in Game 5 of the AL Division Series. He went on to fire three innings, keeping the Mariners in it before Edgar Martinez came up with a hit so consequential it’s referred simply as “The Double” in the Pacific Northwest.

Friday, in Seattle’s 15-inning, 3-2 win, Logan Gilbert attempted to do the same. It was Game 5 of the ALDS. The Mariners’ bullpen had borne a heavy load through the first four games of the series, with Gilbert being the only starter to make it through the sixth inning. Gabe Speier, Matt Brash and Andrés Muñoz had already thrown for the fourth time in five games. Eduard Bazardo would go on to throw in all five.

It was time for Seattle’s Opening Day starter to emulate the Big Unit’s performance, three decades ago, when the aces in the rotation needed to go all-hands-on-deck to save the season.

But he didn’t feel like Randy Johnson in the bullpen. He barely even felt like himself when the phone rang for him, with the game going to the 10th.

“I was spraying the ball in the bullpen,” he said. “I was fired up. Crazy moments. I had to really honestly breathe and try to settle myself down.

“But once they played my music when I came out of the bullpen, you can’t settle down. You just let it eat.”

For the first time, Coolio’s “Gangta’s Paradise” echoed through T-Mobile Park during the game -- not before it. The sellout crowd knew exactly what that meant. And Gilbert delivered, firing two scoreless innings to keep the Mariners afloat as the lineup struggled to find a breakthrough in extra innings, keeping the comparisons to Johnson alive before Jorge Polanco finally, finally ended it.

“Any time you’re being mentioned with that guy, it’s pretty good,” Gilbert said.

It was the culmination of a lockdown series for Gilbert, who struggled with injuries to begin the year and never got to the peaks he reached in a breakout 2024 campaign when he led the Majors in innings pitched.

His eight innings in the series were second only to George Kirby, whose starts in Games 1 and 5 were overshadowed by the fact that both matchups went deep into extra innings. Gilbert allowed one run in six innings in a Game 3 win before taking the ball on two days’ rest in relief.

“It was a little weird, especially when they came in,” Muñoz said of watching starters try to do their best reliever impression. “But it was awesome to see.”

Gilbert blitzed through the 10th inning on nine pitches. Going back out for the 11th -- after the first of three frames where the Seattle offense put the winning run on second base with no outs but failed to score -- he allowed a leadoff single to Kerry Carpenter, then watched him go to second on Cal Raleigh’s first passed ball of the season. Then he bore down, getting out of the jam with two flyouts and a strikeout.

But the offense couldn’t score, and the line from the bullpen kept moving. Gilbert gave way to Bazardo, who got out of the 12th, threw the 13th and got two outs in the 14th. From there, it was Luis Castillo’s turn to show his impression of Johnson, finishing the 14th on two pitches before working the 15th to earn the win.

“It’s full circle,” Gilbert said. “Him being the older guy on the team for the starters and coming in at the end and finishing it off, that’s huge.”

Between Kirby, Gilbert and Castillo, Seattle’s rotation combined to go 8 1/3 innings, allowing one run on six hits and a walk and striking out nine.

“It was just how much this team wants to win,” Julio Rodríguez said. “For them to come out late in the game for us, it was huge.”

At the same time, the bullpen continued to deliver dominant performances, after Speier allowed a home run to the first batter he faced, way back in the sixth.

Brash turned in two innings for the first time since 2023, retiring all six batters he faced and striking out a pair. Muñoz, who hadn’t thrown more than an inning since May, delivered his second multi-inning outing of the series, getting four crucial outs to get the game to extras.

After Gilbert, it was Bazardo’s turn, and the 30-year-old -- whom the Tigers had lit up to the tune of three runs on four hits in Game 4 -- bounced back with 2 2/3 innings, the longest outing of his career.

“For me, it meant a lot,” Muñoz said. “It meant that everybody, we were pushing for the same goal, and everybody was on the same page to do all we can to get the win.”

The lasting repercussions of Friday night’s marathon are yet to be fully felt. The Blue Jays are waiting in Toronto, and the Mariners are set to head across the border with three of their starters recently used, and all of their high-leverage relievers heavily taxed. If Bryan Woo can come back from his pectoral injury, it would provide a huge lift. If not, Seattle will almost certainly need another start from Bryce Miller, before probably asking Castillo -- who only threw 15 pitches -- to get back to work on short rest.

But that’s a discussion for another night -- Saturday, specifically. Friday was for the champagne, and the celebration.

“It never gets old,” Gilbert said. “It’s pretty cool. I’m hoping for a couple more parties, but you’ve got to take them when you get him.”