SEATTLE -- Right-handed reliever Will Vest has been with the Detroit Tigers since the 12th round of the 2017 draft, rising from an unranked prospect to an unstoppable MLB closer through perseverance over eight years.
Except for a brief stint in 2021, when he pitched in 31 games for the Seattle Mariners.
"You learn a lot in this game and in life from failure," Vest said, reflecting on his seven months with the Mariners, from December 2020-July 2021. "I had some good successes that year, and I had some failure that year. I learned a lot about myself."
In October 2025, Vest has returned to the place where he made his MLB debut for Game 5 of the ALDS -- 1,653 days after his first game in the big leagues.
The Tigers and Mariners are set to clash Friday, Oct. 10, in a winner-take-all MLB playoffs showdown at T-Mobile Park, home of the Mariners. The winner advances to face the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALCS, which begins Sunday.
Expect Vest to pitch in the biggest moment.
"I'm not really thinking about any personal things," Vest said, referencing the ALDS matchup with the Mariners. "The longer that I play this game, you're probably going to match up against teams that you've played on."
In November 2020, the Tigers didn't put Vest on their 40-man roster, exposing him to other teams. In December 2020, the Mariners selected Vest in the Rule 5 draft. He made his MLB debut with the Mariners in April 2021.
As a Rule 5 draftee, Vest needed to spend the entire 2021 season on the Mariners' active roster to stay in the organization.
In July 2021, the Mariners dumped Vest after a 6.17 ERA across 35 innings in 32 games. He cleared waivers and returned to the Tigers, assigned to Triple-A Toledo.
"Very rarely do you see guys come up to this league and succeed," said Vest, who had a 1.17 ERA in his first 14 games, then a 10.07 ERA in his last 18 games. "If they do, it might be for a little stint, and then they'll regress to the mean once the league figures them out."
For Vest, it was the first taste of failure in the big leagues.
The failures kept coming.
He didn't complete a full season of professional baseball without being demoted until 2024.
Before then, Vest was sent down to the minor leagues in each of the first three seasons of his five-year MLB career -- once by the Mariners, twice by the Tigers. Before his MLB debut, he had been moved down within the minor leagues every single year.
"I got drafted in 2017," Vest said. "I didn't get demoted that year, but I played a half season, so I don't really count that one. From 2018 to 2023, I had been demoted every single year, which sucks at the time, but you learn how to deal with adversity."
Of all the setbacks, the demotion from MLB to Triple-A in 2023 stung the most.
He pitched 63 innings in 59 games for the Tigers in 2022, but when he struggled to repeat the mechanics of his delivery in spring training, the Tigers optioned him to Triple-A Toledo in March 2023, just six days before Opening Day.
"Coming off almost a full year of service time, just had a kid, and I find out I'm going to Triple-A," Vest said. "I'm living in a hotel room with a newborn and my wife, and we were living out of a truck, and it was tough."
In 2025, Vest has emerged as one of MLB's best relievers.
He registered a 3.01 ERA with 22 walks and 75 strikeouts across 68⅔ innings in 64 games during the regular season, racking up 23 saves in 30 opportunities. His 23 saves ranked ninth among AL relievers and tied for 17th among MLB relievers.
Even more impressive, Vest ranks 39th among 195 qualified relievers with a 2.99 ERA from 2023-25 -- the definition of success over the past three seasons.
He has come a long way from his failed stint with the Mariners.
"This game will humble you, and then whenever you do have success, you enjoy it that much more because of everything that you've been through," said Vest, who has delivered six scoreless innings with zero walks and five strikeouts over four games in the 2025 postseason. "There's a lot of failure in this game and in life, and I'm thankful for it because I think it shapes who you are."
Back in Seattle, the Tigers will count on Vest for success in their biggest moment yet -- Game 5 of the ALDS.
Left-hander Tarik Skubal is expected to pitch deep into the game as the starter in Friday's winner-take-all matchup, but in the late innings, Vest represents a path to a win.
"I'm sure the Mariners would like to have this version of Will Vest right now," Hinch continued, "but how many years ago was that -- four years ago? This version of Will Vest is a legit, bona fide, high-end trustworthy reliever who you want to have the ball in his hand with your fate determined by his ability to execute."