The Mariners came back from down four runs to beat their arch rivals in an extra-inning showdown.
SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners' playoff hopes stayed alive another day following a 6-5, 10th-inning win against the Houston Astros on Wednesday at T-Mobile Park.
Josh Naylor capped off an M's comeback with a first-pitch, bases-loaded, walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning.
"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."
The Mariners now need to win out their final four contests and the Astros and Texas Rangers both need to lose their final four games for the M's to win their second-straight American League West title.
Before Seattle bought itself another 24 hours of playoff contention, it had to fight from being down 4-0.
All four of the Astros runs came in the top of the third. Starting pitcher George Kirby rolled through the first two inning and issued first-pitch strikes to the first eight batters he faced.
Despite immediately falling behind 0-1, Houston center fielder Lucas Spence worked a lead-off walk, but was subsequently caught stealing second to erase the early base-runner. That walk was followed by three consecutive base-hits: a double from shortstop Nick Allen, an RBI single from second baseman Jose Altuve and a double from designated hitter Yordan Alvarez.
Third baseman Isaac Paredes brought home Altuve with an RBI sacrifice fly that bolstered the Astros' lead to 2-0, and catcher Yainer Diaz added two more to the tally with a two-run home run to left field.
The Mariners had an immediate response to their archrivals' big inning with one of their own.
In the bottom of the third, designated hitter Dominic Canzone cashed in with the bases loaded with a two-RBI single that was lined to the right field wall. Center fielder Julio Rodriguez cut the deficit to 4-3 with an RBI double.
"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 the game 4-4 in the bottom of the fifth with an RBI single, which ultimately sent the game to extras.
Rodriguez finished the game 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs and Canzone went 2-for-5 with three RBIs.
In the top of the 10th, Houston briefly regained the advantage after Diaz brought home Alvarez with an RBI triple to right field that barely got past the outstretched glove of right fielder Taylor Ward.
Reliever Cooper Criswell, who was credited with the win, kept the Astros at the one run and struck out right fielder Nelson Velazquez and induced a groundout from left fielder Taylor Trammell that left Diaz stranded at third.
The Mariners bullpen combined to strikeout eight batters, allowed four hits and no earned runs and issued no free bases in five total innings. The run in the top of the 10th was unearned due to it being a ghost runner.
In the bottom of the 10th, Seattle faced an unusually-erratic Josh Hader for the second consecutive innings, and used the closer's uncharacteristic night to its advantage.
Left fielder Randy Arozarena drew a lead-off walk after a successful ABS challenge following a seven-pitch plate appearance. Catcher Cal Raleigh drew a walk two batters later. That, along with shortstop/third baseman J.P. Crawford being the automatic runner at second, set the Mariners up with the bases loaded with no outs.
Rodriguez was walked with the bases juiced after a seven-pitch plate appearance to tied the game 5-5, which set Naylor up to walk it off the first pitch of his at-bat.
"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."
Seattle will look to continue to do its part or keep its playoff hopes alive.
The Mariners will begin a four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels at 6:40 p.m. PT on Thursday at T-Mobile Park.
Bryan Woo will start for Seattle and Grayson Rodriguez will start for Los Angeles.
