Justin Turner’s pinch-hit fielder’s choice scored Leo Rivas from third base with one out in the bottom of the 10th inning, lifting the Seattle Mariners over the visiting Oakland Athletics 7-6 on Saturday night in the penultimate game of the regular season.
Rivas, who started the inning at second base as the automatic runner, took third on J.P. Crawford’s groundout to the right side of the infield. Following an intentional walk to Dylan Moore, Turner hit a slow grounder to second baseman Zack Gelof, who threw home but Rivas slid around the tag to score the winning run.
Seattle’s Eduard Bazardo (2-0) pitched a 1-2-3 top of the 10th for the victory. Scott Alexander (1-3) took the loss.
The winning rally followed a wild ninth. The Mariners tied it off A’s closer Mason Miller as Julio Rodriguez led off by lining a single to left and, an out later, Luke Raley went deep to right-center on a 99.7-mph fastball to make it 6-6.
Oakland’s Shea Langeliers hit a three-run homer with two outs in the top of the ninth to give the A’s a 6-4 lead.
Brent Rooker and Tyler Soderstrom also went deep for the A’s (69-92).
Cal Raleigh also homered for the Mariners (84-77).
Trailing 4-3 entering the ninth, Oakland’s Max Schuemann lined a leadoff single to right off Seattle’s Collin Snider. With two outs, JJ Bleday lined a single to center, sending Schuemann to third. Langeliers hit a 3-1 fastball just over the wall in right field to put Oakland ahead for the first time.
Seattle took a 3-0 lead in the fourth. Raleigh led off with a homer to right, his team-leading 33rd of the season. Raley was hit by a pitch and Jorge Polanco singled. Seattle loaded the bases with two outs and Josh Rojas lined a two-run single to center.
With one out in the fifth, Rooker hit a two-run shot to left-center, his team-leading 39th of the season.
Soderstrom tied it at 3-3 with a leadoff homer to left in the sixth.
The Mariners broke the tie in the seventh. Victor Robles led off with a single to center before being forced out at second on Rodriguez’s grounder to short. After Raleigh fouled out, Raley lined a double down the third base line to score Rodriguez from first.
A’s starter Joey Estes allowed three runs on five hits over five innings, with two walks and two strikeouts.
The Mariners’ Emerson Hancock, recalled from Triple-A Tacoma earlier in the day, went 5 1/3 innings. He also gave up three runs on five hits, with four walks and three strikeouts.
–Field Level Media