Mariners capitalize on Twins' misplays in unusual walk-off win

SEATTLE -- Aided by multiple Minnesota mishaps, the Mariners were able to escape with a 3-2 walk-off win in 10 innings in front of a sellout crowd on Friday night at T-Mobile Park.

Each of Seattle’s three runs resulted from a mistake by the visitors, including an errant throw by Minnesota pitcher Cole Sands that allowed J.P. Crawford to score the game-clinching run. It was a softly hit grounder by Cal Raleigh that bounced to Sands, but his throw home went wide of the catcher and gave Raleigh the winning RBI.

“It wasn’t a great pitch to swing at, and I swung at it,” Raleigh said. “So I kind of got rewarded for swinging at a bad pitch, but that’s kind of how baseball is sometimes. You’ve just got to put the ball in play. Probably not the right way to do it there, but we take what we can get.”

It was Raleigh’s fourth career walk-off, and his second of the season, but it marks the first time in his career a walk-off did not result from a base hit.

“I don’t know if it was a bad throw or the ball popped out, but I remember we kind of got a lucky break there,” said Raleigh, who went 0-for-4 on the night. “But it’s a part of the game. You’ve got to make clean plays. You’ve got to play clean defense, especially in this league. Mistakes will really show up, and guys will take advantage.”

Seattle (47-37) took advantage of another poorly aimed throw in the bottom of the fifth when Josh Rojas hit a screaming line drive down the first-base line to bring Mitch Haniger home from first. Haniger was waved home while rounding third despite Minnesota first baseman Carlos Santana seemingly having ample time to make a throw home for an out. Santana instead bounced the ball past catcher Christian Vázquez, allowing Haniger to touch the plate with ease.

The play broke a scoreless tie, but the Mariners didn’t enjoy the lead for long as Twins shortstop Carlos Correa hit a two-run home run off Seattle starter Logan Gilbert over the left-field wall in the top of the sixth to snag a 2-1 advantage for Minnesota.

“I was trying to get it glove side,” said Gilbert, “so it was kind of front door, which wasn’t ideal. I accidentally threw that same pitch the at-bat before and he kind of flinched.

“If it was a better location, I’d feel good about it, but I just left it inside and he put a good swing on it.”

Those were the only runs surrendered by Gilbert, who struck out three batters and didn’t allow a walk in six innings. His ERA remains 2.72, which ranks ninth in the Majors.

Despite the ill-timed homer, Gilbert finished out the inning and the Mariners’ defense didn’t lose focus.

"A couple years ago, that game probably spirals right there,” Gilbert said. “I didn’t come out with a lead, but I tried to give us a chance to stay in it, and the defense played really well behind me. It all worked out.”

The score remained 2-1 until an eighth-inning rally that saw Seattle yet again feast on a Minnesota blunder. Following a Haniger walk, Rojas came up big with a single right up the middle of the field. Julio Rodríguez stepped up and hit what looked like a routine groundout to short, but Santana couldn’t corral Correa’s throw and Rodríguez reached second base as Luke Raley, pinch-running for Haniger, went home with a game-tying run.

Raleigh said Seattle was sure to make the most of the Twins’ mistakes.

“Whether it’s making really good plays, or just making routine plays, it’s really important to take advantage,” Raleigh said. “You can’t give the other team free opportunities, because that’s when it comes back to bite you.”

While it took a come-from-behind performance, Mariners manager Scott Servais wasn’t surprised of the outcome once the game went into extra innings.

“If you can stay close in those games, we will find a way,” Servais said. “We may not always get it done, but we are going to have the winning or tying run at the plate almost every game. That’s what our crowd expects, that’s what our players expect.”