Down 6-0, Jackson Merrill delivered a stunning ninth-inning hit, capping a five-run rally for a dramatic San Diego Padres walk-off victory.
The San Diego Padres just continue to win games, even when it looks like their chances are very low.
After two walk-off wins against the Colorado Rockies a week ago, the Padres delivered another, this time in stunning fashion.
Randy Vasquez, who had been the best pitcher for San Diego this season, had his first bad outing. Vasquez went just four innings, giving up four runs on five hits with four walks. Ron Marinaccio then allowed two more runs before Wady Peralta and Alek Jacob combined for three scoreless innings.
Still, the Padres were down 6-0 going into the sixth, but Xander Bogaerts continued his strong play with a two-run home run.
Jackson Merrill also made waves with a home run robbery in the third inning.
But, the story of the night was in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Manny Machado drew a walk against ex-Padre Andres Munoz. Gavin Sheets doubled, Nick Castellanos struck out, and Ty France singled to load the bases.
Craig Stammen then pinch-hit Fernando Tatis Jr. in place of Jake Cronenworth, and Tatis hit a sacrifice fly to make it a 6-3 game.
The Padres followed that up with back-to-back RBI singles by Luis Campusano and Ramon Laureano to make it a 6-5 game.
Then, the Mariners brought in Jose A. Ferrer, and after that, Merrill played hero in an unreal turn of events at Petco Park.
On a 2-2 pitch, with two outs and two on, Merrill hit a line drive down the left-field line, and both Laureano and Campusano scored to give the Padres a 7-6 walk-off win.
This marks the third walk-off win during the homestand, and this one was a five-run deficit, yet the Padres continued to fight and grind.
Everything started off rough with a surprisingly bad outing from Vasquez, and a 6-0 deficit going into the sixth made it even more difficult.
Yet, the bottom of the 9th provided some heroics.
The red-hot Padres have now won seven straight and 10 of the last 11 games, and Petco Park was once again sold out on Wednesday night.
The Padres finish the three-game series against the Mariners on Thursday, with Walker Buehler pitching for San Diego and Luis Castillo throwing for Seattle.
After that, the Padres face the Los Angeles Angels.
Still, the Padres are rolling, and even a four-run ninth-inning deficit isn't enough to cool down this team.