On Saturday night, the Seattle Mariners defeated the Houston Astros 8-7 at T-Mobile Park, one of three wins the Mariners have secured against their division rivals in this four-game set, which concludes on Monday afternoon at 1:10 p.m. PT.

In that Saturday contest, shortstop J.P. Crawford won the game in the bottom of the ninth inning with a bases-loaded single to left field.

As our own Teren Kowatsch wrote on Sunday morning, Crawford has been historically good in those kinds of situations.

Crawford's bases-loaded numbers also caught the attention of 'The Athletic' on Monday morning:

Well, how does one explain Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford, whose eighth career walk-off hit Saturday night made him 30-for-77 in his career with the bases loaded?

Those numbers include six grand slams, two triples and seven doubles, good for a .390 batting average, 1.162 OPS and 88 RBIs in 91 plate appearances.

The explanation for Crawford's success lies in his ability to slow the game down, at least according to Jerry Dipoto, who called his clutch performances a skill.

“I do think there’s skill involved,” Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said. “The pitcher is almost always more anxious than J.P., who has always been a low pulse, selective hitter in these situations.

“I think many guys get themselves out with aggression. J.P. is calm in the moment. He makes them come to him.”

The longest tenured Mariners player, Crawford was acquired by Seattle before the 2019 campaign. He made his Mariners debut that season and has become one of the most beloved figures in the last decade of team history.

A Gold Glove winner in 2020, Crawford is a career .248 hitter with 67 homers and 348 RBIs. He led the American League in walks in 2023 (94) and hit a career-high 19 homers in that season.

He's been a part of playoff teams in both 2022 and 2025, serving as a team leader on both groups. He may eventually end up as a member of the M's Hall of Fame.

He's a free agent at the end of the season and it's unclear what his future holds. The Mariners have already locked up Colt Emerson to an eight-year contract extension, essentially anointing him the shortstop of the future. 

They'll go for a four-game sweep of the Astros on Monday as George Kirby takes the mound against Mike Burrows. The Mariners are 7-9 and winners of three straight contests. The Astros are now 6-10 and in last place in the American League West.

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