Mariners top rival Astros on rookie Cole Young's walkoff single

Shane Lantz, The Seattle Times on Jul 20, 2025

Published in Baseball

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SEATTLE — When the Seattle Mariners needed it most, the rookie came through Saturday.

In a game that featured a blown three-run lead from the bullpen, a near bench-clearing incident after multiple hit batters, and a wacky sequence in the bottom of the 10th, Seattle finally sent their fans home happy with a walkoff single from Cole Young in the bottom of the 11th, as the Seattle Mariners clinched the series against the Houston Astros with a 7-6 win at T-Mobile Park.

Young’s single to right field off Astros reliever Hector Neris drove home automatic runner Dominic Canzone, and put the Mariners three games back of the Astros in the AL West standings.

The game was bizarre nearly all the way through. After the Astros took a 6-5 lead in the 10th on a sacrifice fly from Taylor Trammell, the Mariners tied it in the bottom half when a pitch from Josh Hader hit off the knob of Dylan Moore’s bat and Cal Raleigh scored from third base.

Moore was thrown out at first, but the Mariners knotted it up at 6-6 after a replay review.

After a scoreless outing from Eduard Bazardo, Young’s heroics ended the nearly four-hour game and sent the crowd into joyful hysterics.

Seattle goes for the three-game sweep Sunday with Bryan Woo pitching.

The game began with Mariners starter Logan Evans on the mound. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the first inning, while throwing 26 pitches in the frame. Jose Altuve and Victor Caratini hit back to back one out singles, and Christian Walker appropriately walked two batters later to load the bases with two outs. But Evans got Yainer Diaz to fly out to center field to escape the inning unscathed.

The Mariners struck first in the second inning, when Jorge Polanco scored on a bases-loaded groundout to the pitcher from Ben Williamson, which gave Seattle a 1-0 lead. Houston pitcher Lance McCullers escaped even more damage though, when J.P. Crawford struck out looking with the bases loaded, on a pitch well off the plate outside.

After Houston tied it up again the next inning on an RBI single from rookie Cam Smith, Luke Raley drove in Randy Arozarena with an RBI single in the third to put the Mariners ahead by a run.

Canzone followed with a double to left field that gave Seattle a 4-1 lead and drove McCullers from the game.

Evans was credited with four innings pitched after giving up a leadoff double to Altuve and walking Caratini to start the fifth inning. He allowed two earned runs on six hits with three walks and five strikeouts, and was relieved by Carlos Vargas.

The Astros erased Seattle’s lead in a nightmare sixth for the Mariners. Vargas got the first out of the inning on grounder to short from Mauricio Dubon, and things then started to fall apart with Seattle ahead 4-2. Astros second baseman Brice Matthews tried to lay down a bunt against Vargas, but instead took a 97 mph fastball to the face. He stayed down for several seconds, but stayed in the game and took first base.

Vargas then plunked Zack Short, and the Astros began yelling in heated fashion and pointing at the Seattle dugout. It seemed for a few moments like the benches might empty, but order was restored and the ever-pesky Altuve drove Matthews in with a single to make it a one-run game.

Caratini tied it up two pitches later with an RBI single of his own to score Short, and Walker put the Astros in front with a single to right field off Gabe Speier, though Vargas was charged with the run.

Arozarena tied the game at 5-5 when he scored from third base on wild pitch in the eighth inning, and Andrés Muñoz threw a scoreless ninth inning. After the Mariners failed to score in the bottom half, the game went to extra innings.

The Astros loaded the bases against Mariners reliever Matt Brash in the 10th, as Seattle intentionally walked Altuve before Brash walked Caratini. He threw two straight balls to Smith for a 2-0 count, but roared back to strike Smith out to keep the Mariners deficit at one.

Bazardo got the win, and Neris was tagged for the loss.

Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes left the game in the third inning with right hamstring discomfort after hitting a leadoff single.