For 15 edge-of-your-seat innings, the Mariners and Tigers played a dramatic, thrilling postseason contest in Game 5 of the American League Division Series that ultimately ended in Seattle joy and Detroit heartbreak. And for the impartial fan, this was baseball heaven. There was excellent pitching, clutch hitting, peak drama and even first-class umpiring.
Over the course of 15 innings, 472 total pitches and nearly five hours of game time, home-plate umpire Alan Porter was nearly perfect. Porter correctly called 219 of 228 balls and strikes, a highly-impressive accuracy rate of 96%, according to Umpire Scorecards.
96% over 15 innings and nearly 5 hours of #Postseason winner-take-all baseball. Pretty impressive. https://t.co/5LyV8mKO4L
— Umpire Scorecards (@UmpScorecards) October 11, 2025
And while Porter wasn't perfect—some may point to his called strike against Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford, or in the Tigers' case, the ruled hit-by-pitch of Mariners outfielder Victor Robles, a somewhat controversial call that went against Detroit's favor.
But overall, this was an outstanding performance by an MLB umpire on the game's biggest stage at a time when umpires are under the microscope seemingly more than ever.
A round of applause for Alan Porter please.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLB Umpire Cards Near-Perfect Game in 15 Innings of Mariners-Tigers ALDS Game 5.
