Mariners ALCS now tied. The question is now pressing: When’s Bryan Woo pitching?
Their pitching staff has gotten shelled as their team has squandered early command of a championship series.
Their ace says he feels good, back from injury, ready to go.
He’s on the playoff roster for this American League Championship Series that, for them, has gone from terrific to teetering.
So the question, after consecutive home losses to the Toronto Blue Jays by a combined 21-6, isn’t only fair. It’s pressing.
When is Bryan Woo going to pitch?
Most in the Pacific Northwest assumed the All-Star who hasn’t pitched since Sept. 19 because of pectoral inflammation but completed successful bullpen sessions in Toronto last weekend would start Game 5 Friday.
But manager Dan Wilson named Bryce Miller, Seattle’s Game 1 stud who got this ALCS off to a roaring Mariners start, to take the ball to begin the pivotal game.
The last anyone saw Woo on the field during a game, he was walking out to the bullpen in the third inning of Game 3 Wednesday. He didn’t pitch in that one, either. That’s even though starter George Kirby allowed eight runs in Seattle’s 13-4 loss.
Woo didn’t pitch Thursday either. Wilson brought Gabe Speier out of the bullpen to relieve starter Luis Castillo in the third inning with the score 2-1 Toronto. He pitched fellow high-leverage reliever Matt Brash, and recently dependable middle man Eduard Bazardo, a hero in Game 2 in Toronto Monday.
But not Woo. With his 15-7 record in the regular season, 2.94 ERA and 198 strikeouts in 186 2-3 innings, he watched the Mariners get whacked again, 8-2.
So again: When is Woo pitching with the Mariners season now more than on the line?
“Yeah, I think we did use (primary) bullpen guys (Thursday), but they were very well rested, again,” Wilson said following Game 4.
“So I think that we’re still in good shape in terms of our bullpen. And also, we have Bryan down there, as well.
“And we’ll utilize him when the time is right.”
The right time could be — at this point maybe should be? — if Miller falters early Friday, as Kirby and Castillo have against the Blue Jays the last two games.
Or even if he doesn’t.
Woo said Tuesday his live bullpen session early this week, facing Mariners hitters, “went great.”
“Obviously, frustrating not being out there,” Woo said. “But, yeah, everything looks good, feels good so far.
”Yeah, I’ll be ready to go whenever my name gets called.”
Woo said two days ago he was frustrated. He can only feel more so watching his staff allow 21 runs in two losses to turn the Mariners’ 2-0 series lead into a 2-2 tie.
“But, yeah, I’m excited, obviously. Just been itching to get back on the field the last couple of weeks and doing what I can to keep the energy up and bring good vibes in the dugout,” Woo said.
“But it’s obviously not the same as being on the field.”
This story was originally published October 16, 2025 at 10:18 PM with the headline "Mariners ALCS now tied. The question is now pressing: When’s Bryan Woo pitching?."
