Trade acquisition Josh Naylor produced to go-ahead hit to send the Mariners into October

SEATTLE — As so many games have this season, Tuesday's contest between the Seattle Mariners and Colorado Rockies at T-Mobile Park came down to All-Star closer Andres Munoz. But Tuesday's game mattered that much more.

Munoz retired the side in order, and struck out Rockies third baseman Kyle Karros on three pitches to secure the final out and a 4-3 win for the Mariners. The victory clinched a playoff berth for Seattle — it's second in four seasons and just its third since 2001.

"It feels great. It feels great," Munoz said in a postgame interview. "It brings back a lot of memories from 2022. It was an awesome feeling. Feeling that back again, makes it special."

Before Munoz closed the door on Colorado and opened Seattle's door into October, the Mariners had to overcome a Rockies team that wasn't willing to let their opponents walk into the postseason easily.

Colorado took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second after Karros hit a two-out RBI single.

Seattle, as it has done the entire season, kept fighting. Designated hitter Dominic Canzone hit a solo home run to right field in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game 1-1.

That homer was the only opening the M's could find against Colorado starting pitcher McCade Brown. The rookie starter fanned a career-high 10 batters, walked two, hit a batter and allowed one earned run on two hits (one homer).

Mariners starting pitcher  Bryce Miller limited the Rockies to the single run. He was pulled in the sixth inning with two outs and runners on second and third. He fanned four, walked one and allowed five hits.

Eduard Bazardo was the first reliever out of the bullpen for Seattle. The first batter Bazardo faced, Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, hit a two-RBI single to put Colorado in front 3-1. Miller was dinged with the two earned runs allowed on the hit, giving him three earned for the game.

But the Rockies' lead was small enough for the Mariners to work their way back, which they did in the bottom of the eighth.

Luke Raley, who led off the eighth pinch-hitting for Canzone, was hit by a pitch. Shortstop J.P. Crawford was walked. Left fielder Randy Arozarena and catcher Cal Raleigh both struck out, and center fielder Julio Rodriguez was hit by a pitch to give Seattle the bases loaded with two outs.

First baseman and 2025 trade acquisition Josh Naylor cashed in and hit a bases-clearing, three-RBI double to give Seattle a 4-3 lead — the eventual final.

"It's cool. It's a lot of fun," Miller said after the game. "Glad we got Naylor at the deadline to come in and hit a bases-clearing double in the eighth. We don't give up. ... We don't give up. As long as we stay in the game, the pitchers keep us in the game, we know the offense is gonna give us a chance. And we believe in each other." 

Munoz's save in the top of the ninth was his 38th of the season in 45 opportunities.

The Houston Astros lost to the Athletics 5-1 on Tuesday. That loss means the Mariners will clinch the American League West crown if they win Game 2 against Colorado on Wednesday. It would be Seattle's first division title since 2001.

"Your first couple years (in the league), you're naive and you don't understand how hard it is and how long and how much effort it takes to go through most seasons," Raleigh said after the game. "You don't understand it. In the moment you're happy. You just don't know any better. After these last two years, how disappointing it was, how it hurt missing by a game, it really put it into perspective how hard this game is and how hard it is to get here. The guys in here remember. ... I think that's what helped us finish it out and get into the postseason."

First pitch in Game 2 between the Mariners and the Rockies is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. PT. Luis Castillo will start for Seattle and Tanner Gordon will start for Colorado.