As the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros continue to battle for the top of the AL West, the Mariners closed out the second game of the series against the Astros with a wild win.
With Seattle up 6-4 in the bottom of the ninth, the Astros were threatening with runners on first and second and one out. Houston third baseman Carlos Correa hit a line drive to right field, where Victor Robles made a diving catch. He then tossed the ball to J.P. Crawford at second for the easy double play. Astros center field Jake Meyers, who had taken off toward home, had no shot of getting back to the base in time.
Seattle had built up a 6-0 lead in the seventh after RBI from five different players — including Cal Raleigh’s 57th home run of the season, which breaks Ken Griffey Jr.’s franchise record. But in the bottom of the seventh, the Astros started to catch up after a grand slam from shortstop Jeremy Peña.
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Houston had its chance at the walk-off when two runners reached via a hit-by-pitch and walk, but Robles had another idea, pulling off the stunning, game-winning catch.
Crucially for Seattle, the win clinched the season series and tiebreaker over the Astros, who now trail the Mariners by two in the AL West with seven games left in the regular season. Houston is currently tied with the Cleveland Guardians for the third and final AL wild card spot.
The Mariners and Astros will face off one more time on Sunday. After that, Houston will have two series against easier AL West opponents, the Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels on the road. The Mariners, meanwhile, will face the league-worst Colorado Rockies at home before hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers to end the season.
