Apopka native Logan Gilbert put the Seattle Mariners on his back Tuesday night in Detroit. With the American League Division Series tied 1-1, Gilbert hurled a six-inning gem against the Detroit Tigers in an 8-4 win, pushing Seattle to within one game of its fourth-ever appearance in the American League Championship Series.

“I felt pretty good,” Gilbert, 28, said during the postgame press conference. “In a game like this, you just don’t want to get in deep counts all the time and beat yourself and walk guys. I tried to just force contact, make them swing it, and defense played great behind me.”

Gilbert, a 2015 Wekiva High School graduate, executed his game plan to perfection. Over six innings of work, the right-hander allowed four hits and one run while striking out seven and walking none on 85 pitches.

Gilbert, a 2018 first-round pick out of Stetson University, broke into the majors in 2021 and quickly established himself as a steady presence in the Seattle pitching rotation. He led the majors in innings in 2024 and became an All-Star for the first time.

This year, a flexor strain in his pitching elbow sidelined Gilbert for almost two months, but he returned to form late in the season, going 2-0 with a 2.30 ERA over his five September starts.

The Mariners are the only team in Major League Baseball that has never appeared in a World Series, giving Gilbert an opportunity to help make history. Seattle will try to clinch the series Wednesday afternoon.