The Seattle Mariners got the kind of night that should have been building toward something bigger. Instead, it ended with boos, an ejection, and another missed chance.
Seattle fell 3-2 to the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday at T-Mobile Park, dropping the second game of the three-game set and the series itself. That came after a pregame celebration that honored the 50 greatest players in franchise history as part of the team’s 50th anniversary, along with the announcement that longtime broadcaster Rick Rizzs will be inducted into the team Hall of Fame next year. Alvin Davis also delivered a passionate speech about proving doubters wrong and bringing a World Series championship to Seattle.
None of that carried over into the final score.
The turning point in the emotional swing came in the sixth inning, when manager Dan Wilson was ejected after home plate umpire Emil Jimenez did not grant an ABS challenge on a Julio Rodriguez strikeout looking to end the frame. Wilson went out to argue for his three-time All-Star, and Jimenez tossed him.
“I didn't agree with the assessment that Emil had,” Wilson said in a postgame interview. “We just didn't see eye-to-eye on that.
I thought Julio had plenty of time to make that call and got to his helmet (for the challenge) in time. He didn't agree.”
From there, the crowd made its feelings known, showering Jimenez with boos the rest of the night.
At that point, Seattle was already chasing the game. The Rays had turned a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead, and they did it by making George Kirby work from the start.
Tampa Bay fouled off more than 20 pitches from the one-time All-Star, pushed his pitch count to 99, and sent him out after five innings. Kirby allowed one earned run on four hits, including a homer, while striking out two and walking two.
He also threw one wild pitch.
Seattle had opened the scoring in the bottom of the second when Josh Naylor launched a solo homer to right field, his first since June 12. Tampa Bay answered in the fourth on a solo shot from right fielder Victor Mesa Jr.
The Mariners nearly let the Rays break the game open in that same fourth inning, but Cal Raleigh bailed out Kirby with a sliding grab to finish off a foulout by Rays catcher Nick Fortes and leave two runners stranded in scoring position.
Kirby was part of the play too, sliding in as Raleigh made the catch.
“I’m running as hard as I can for that ball, any day,” Kirby said after the game. “I'm glad Cal got there and he got it. That was pretty sweet.”
The Rays took the lead for good in the sixth on a bases-loaded, two-out, two-RBI single from Richie Palacios.
Naylor wasn’t done answering, though. He blasted another solo homer in the seventh, a 434-foot shot that kept Seattle within one.
By the end of the night, Naylor had put together a huge line: 3-for-4 with two runs, a double, two homers and two RBIs. Wilson had plenty of praise for him afterward.
“(Naylor) found some barrels tonight, for sure,” Wilson said. “He continues to work at it.
I like that he got a couple pitches out front and pulled them for homers and was able to drive that ball to left-center. ... Just seeing where his approach is and his ability to find a barrel, hit it hard, hit it a long way, that was really outstanding tonight for him.”
Seattle still had one last chance. After Munoz retired the side in order on eight pitches in the ninth, the Mariners came up in the bottom half trailing 3-2 with a shot to either tie it or walk it off.
Rodriguez led off with a single, bringing Naylor to the plate with the game in reach. He nearly turned it into a three-homer night, but his 100.5-mile-per-hour, 379-foot fly ball died on the warning track in left-center field.
After that, Donovan grounded into a 3-6-3 double play to end it.
The Mariners finished 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left five on base. The loss was their second straight series defeat and guaranteed they would finish the nine-game homestand with a losing record.
In Other News...
George Kirby May Have Been Closer To A Mariners Exit Than Fans Knew
George Kirby stayed put when the MLB trade deadline passed, but ESPNs reporting suggests his name was part of a wider market conversation even if Mariners fans never saw it play out in real time. Detroits talks on Tarik Skubal were shaped in part by the possibility that if those negotiations dragged, other clubs might redirect their attention toward Kirby, whose appeal is obvious to any front office hunting for a frontline starter.
For Seattle, the important part is simple: Kirby is still in the rotation, and the Mariners kept one of their most valuable arms rather than turning a deadline debate into a roster shakeup. The reporting also underscores why he drew such attention in the first place, with his age, affordability and long runway of team control making him exactly the kind of pitcher rival clubs would monitor if the market for an ace started to move. [Read more 🡒]
Jerry Dipoto Faces New Heat As Mariners Questions Keep Growing
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For the Mariners, the comparison is hard to miss because the questions around Dipoto have only grown as the team has continued to struggle on the field. Seattle has built its recent identity around patience and process, but results have a way of changing the temperature fast, and another front-office reset in the AL West only adds to the scrutiny on a group already under pressure to show progress. [Read more 🡒]
Rick Rizzs Finally Gets A Place In Mariners History
Rick Rizzs has been part of the Mariners soundtrack for so long that it is hard to imagine the franchise without him. Now, the team is formally giving him a place in its history, announcing that the longtime broadcaster will be inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame next season. He will become the 12th member and one of only two non-uniformed inductees, joining Dave Niehaus in that distinction.
Rizzs has been connected to the organization for 41 years and has served as the lead radio voice since 2011, but his impact has gone well beyond the booth. Through his Toys for Kids charity, he has also been a familiar presence in the community. The Mariners have not yet announced when the ceremony will take place or what it will look like, leaving one more chapter in a fitting honor still to come. [Read more 🡒]