Bryan Woo could make his return against the Toronto Blue Jays in the next week
SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners will play in the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2001.
The Mariners won the best-of-five American League Divisional Series against the Detroit Tigers in a 3-2, 15-inning ALDS Game 5 on Friday at T-Mobile Park.
Friday was a day of celebration for Seattle. But there was a lingering question for the next series: who will start in the first two games of the ALCS?
The Mariners used seven pitchers Friday. Three were starting pitchers. George Kirby started the game and went five innings, Logan Gilbert pitched the 10th and 11th innings and Luis Castillo threw part of the 14th and the 15th.
If Seattle kepts its ALDS rotation for the ALCS, Castillo would have been the starter for Game 1 of the ALCS against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Luckily for the Mariners, their ace might be back on the hill.
Right-handed starter and 2025 All-Star Bryan Woo has been out since Sept. 19 due to right pectoral inflammation. He was off the ALDS roster due to the injury, but threw a bullpen before Friday's game.
According to a report on "X" from The Athletic's Tyler Kepner, Seattle president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said the team currently expects Woo to be available "at some point" in the ALCS.
The news is good for the Mariners as they hope to take down the Blue Jays, who dominated the New York Yankees in a five-game ALDS.
If the three starters who appeared Friday are out of the question for Games 1 and 2 of the ALCS, that would likely indicate Bryce Miller and Woo would be the Games 1 and 2 starters, depending on the latter's health.
Woo posted a 2.94 ERA this season with 198 strikeouts in 186.2 innings pitched across 30 starts. His number of outings, innings pitched and strikeouts are all single-season career-highs.
Woo's health could be the key for Seattle's potential success in the ALCS. With Woo back in the fold, the M's could go with a four-man rotation with Miller or Emerson Hancock pitching the bulk of any potential bullpen day.
Woo made one start against the Blue Jays this season on April 18. He fanned four, walked two and allowed three earned runs on seven hits in seven innings of work. Toronto won the game 3-1.
The Mariners and Blue Jays have played one playoff series against each other in their respective franchise's histories. It was a 2022 best-of-three wild card series. Seattle swept Toronto 2-0.
The Mariners and Blue Jays will play Game 1 of the ALCS at 5:03 p.m. PT on Sunday at Rogers Centre in Toronto.
RELATED MARINERS STORIES
MARINERS ADVANCE TO ALCS AFTER 15-INNING THRILLER AGAINST TIGERS: Second baseman Jorge Polanco delivered the walk-off hit to send the Mariners to their first ALCS in 24 years. CLICK HERE
RANDY PREPARED FOR GAME 5 OF ALDS: The former American League Championship Series MVP is no stranger to win-or-go-home games. CLICK HERE
MARINERS NAMED 'LEADING CONTENDER' TO SIGN JAPANESE SLUGGER: Munetaka Murakami, a former MVP in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball, is expected to be one of the most highly-coveted corner infielders next offseason. CLICK HERE
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Remember to join our MARINERS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Mariners fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!