How Rare Was Walk-Off Home Run That Andres Munoz Allowed on Sunday?

For the second time in three days, the Seattle Mariners lost on a walk-off home run against the Athletics in West Sacramento, Calif. on Sunday.

For the fifth time in the last 10 days, the Mariners were beaten by the Athletics, who own one of the three worst records in the sport.

In what was supposed to be a soft part of their schedule that could buoy them back to the playoffs, the Mariners have gone 2-5 against the A's, basically harpooning their chances at the postseason.

The Mariners enter play on Monday at 70-80 with 12 games to play. They are five games behind the Houston Astros in the American League West. They have two games left against the Astros, so it's conceivable that they can catch the Houston if they get hot, but:

1) There's no evidence that suggests the Mariners can get hot.

2) Even if they catch Houston, they are also four games behind the Texas Rangers in the division. The Rangers own the tiebreaker over the Mariners, so it's essentially a five-game deficit there too.

The playoff odds are at 4.2 percent, per Fangraphs. 

Sunday's latest indignity came courtesy of another bullpen meltdown. The Mariners led 6-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning before surrendering four runs thanks to some poor execution on both the mound and in the field. They took a 7-6 lead in the eighth inning, only to see Munoz surrender a walkoff two-run homer to Lawrence Butler in the bottom of the ninth.

Zack Gelof started the inning with a bounding single through third and short before Butler hit the blast, his second of the game.

On one hand, you can blame Munoz for falling behind Butler 3-0 and setting up a fastball situation. On the other, you have to tip your hat to Butler, who eventually hit a 3-1 fastball at 101.1 mph out to right center.

As noted by Theo DeRosa of MLB, Butler's fastball came on the fastest pitch thrown against the A's in the history of the pitch-tracking era (since 2008).

Furthermore, it's the fourth-fastest pitch hit for a homer across the league this season.

None of that will make frustrated Mariners fans feel better, and it shouldn't, but the blast was certainly rare.

The Mariners will be in Anaheim on Monday night when they take on the Los Angeles Angels for the start of a three-game series. The Halos have the worst record in the American League.

The Mariners are 4-2 against them this season. Our own Teren Kowatsch will be live in Anaheim covering the series. First pitch on Monday is 6:38 p.m. PT.

Kade Anderson will pitch against lefty Reid Detmers.