The Seattle Mariners kept their season flickering Wednesday night, scratching out a 6-5, 10th-inning win over the Houston Astros at T-Mobile Park to stay alive in the playoff race.
Josh Naylor delivered the finish. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th, he jumped on the first pitch and lined a walk-off RBI single, completing a comeback that had the Mariners staring at a 4-0 deficit earlier in the game.
"Personally, doesn't happen without the at-bats before me," Naylor said in a postgame interview Wednesday. " ...
If those don't happen, I don't get my opportunity. I was just looking for something elevated, something I could just kind of get in the air."
Seattle’s path forward is still narrow. The Mariners now have to win their final four games, while both the Astros and Texas Rangers must lose their final four for Seattle to claim its second straight American League West title.
The night looked rough early for George Kirby and the Mariners. Houston pushed across all four of its runs in the top of the third after Kirby had breezed through the first two innings and opened the game by throwing first-pitch strikes to the first eight hitters he faced.
The inning started with a Lucas Spence walk, though he was erased when he was caught stealing second. From there, the Astros stacked hits together: a Nick Allen double, a Jose Altuve RBI single and a Yordan Alvarez double. Isaac Paredes added an RBI sacrifice fly, and Yainer Diaz capped the burst with a two-run homer to left.
Seattle answered right back.
In the bottom of the third, Dominic Canzone came through with the bases loaded, lining a two-RBI single to the right-field wall. Julio Rodriguez followed with an RBI double to trim the gap to 4-3.
"When (Rodriguez is) disciplined in the zone, he is so difficult," Seattle manager Dan Wilson said in a postgame interview Wednesday. "I thought he put really good swings on the pitches tonight. ...
He's found some barrels here. And, as we've said, when he finds a barrel, it's electric."
Canzone tied it at 4-4 in the bottom of the fifth with another RBI single, and that score held until extras.
Rodriguez finished 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Canzone went 2-for-5 with three RBIs.
Houston briefly grabbed the lead again in the top of the 10th when Diaz ripped an RBI triple to right field that just eluded Taylor Ward’s reach, bringing in Alvarez. But the Mariners bullpen limited the damage, with Cooper Criswell earning the win after striking out Nelson Velazquez and getting Taylor Trammell to ground out, leaving Diaz at third.
Seattle’s relief group worked five innings, allowed four hits, struck out eight and didn’t issue a free base. The run in the 10th was unearned because of the ghost runner.
Then came the final turn. Facing Josh Hader for the second straight inning, the Mariners drew three straight advantages their way.
Randy Arozarena opened with a walk after a successful ABS challenge on a seven-pitch at-bat. Cal Raleigh walked two batters later, and with J.P.
Crawford already at second as the automatic runner, the bases were loaded with no outs.
Rodriguez worked another seven-pitch walk to force in the tying run and make it 5-5, setting the stage for Naylor’s winner on the very next pitch.
"I thought (we had) really good at-bats up and down, particularly against Hader," Wilson said. "A little bit of wildness (from him) tonight and we didn't go chasing."
In Other News...
Mariners Next Manager Call May Come Down To One Crucial Choice
As the Mariners look ahead to 2027, the conversation around their next manager is already beginning to take shape with Dan Wilson unlikely to return. One name that naturally fits into the discussion is Torey Lovullo, the current Diamondbacks manager, who brings both experience and a past connection to Seattle executive Jerry Dipoto.
Lovullo is in the final year of his contract in Arizona, and his status there is far from settled, which only adds another layer to Seattles planning. For the Mariners, the appeal is obvious: a familiar baseball mind with a track record and an existing relationship in the front office, even if the timing and the broader managerial market could end up deciding how real that fit becomes. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Are Finally Near A Dan Wilson Decision Fans Expected Much Sooner
Dan Wilsons tenure in the Mariners dugout appears to be nearing its end, and the timing has the feel of something the club has been bracing for rather than reacting to. A resolution on his future is expected shortly after the 2026 season wraps, with the most likely window coming around the Tuesday after the final game, and the front office may use a press conference to explain where things stand. John Stanton and Jerry Dipoto are expected to be central voices if and when the club addresses the move.
For Seattle, the bigger picture is less about the formality of the announcement than what comes next. Wilsons exit is expected to be presented as a mutual parting rather than a clean firing, which would soften the edges of a significant transition while still signaling a new direction. The Mariners are already weighing potential replacements, even if no official decision has been made, and the lingering question now is how quickly the organization moves from the end of one era to the start of the next. [Read more 🡒]
Mariners Fans Get One Last Chance To Celebrate Rick Rizzs
Rick Rizzs is set to call his final series as the Mariners radio voice this weekend, and the farewell will come with the kind of celebration that fits a broadcaster who spent 41 seasons as part of the teams daily soundtrack. Seattles four-game set against the Angels at T-Mobile Park will serve as the stage for a run of tributes, with the club planning a fireworks show, a ceremonial first pitch and fan giveaways to mark the moment.
Rizzs will also make the rounds on Seattle Sports radio shows throughout the weekend, giving listeners one more chance to hear the familiar voice that has followed the Mariners through generations of seasons. For fans who grew up with him in the booth, the series is about more than one last broadcast. It is a final weekend to say thanks to someone who became part of the fabric of the team. [Read more 🡒]