Inside The Mariners

Seattle Mariners Walk-Off Oakland Athletics in Extra Innings For Series Win

Justin Turner made the most of his one at-bat and walked-off to the Oakland Athletics to give the Seattle Mariners a 7-6 win in extra innings on Saturday.

Teren Kowatsch

Seattle Mariners first baseman Luke Raley (right) celebrates with center fielder Julio Rodriguez after hitting a home run against the Oakland Athletics on Saturday at T-Mobile Park.
Seattle Mariners first baseman Luke Raley (right) celebrates with center fielder Julio Rodriguez after hitting a home run against the Oakland Athletics on Saturday at T-Mobile Park. / Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
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SEATTLE — Just because there's no postseason implications doesn't mean there's no more dramatics.

Justin Turner hit a walk-off fielder's choice in the bottom of the 10th inning to score Leo Rivas and give the Seattle Mariners a 7-6 win over the Athletics on Saturday at T-Mobile Park. The win improved the Mariners' record to 84-77 on the season and guaranteed Seattle a series win in the final set of the season.

"A really nice ball game tonight," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said in a postgame interview Sunday. "Incredible effort by the guys in that room. You know, (kept) fighting all the way though. Took us 10 innings tonight. But awesome effort. ... Getting that score in the 10th — great hustle by Leo to get down the line and avoid the tag. Just a great game all around."

For not having playoff implications, the two teams played like it it was Game 7 on Saturday.

First, Cal Raleigh tied Mike Piazza for the most home runs by a catcher in MLB history through four seasons (92) with a solo shot in the bottom of the fourth. That hit put Seattle up 1-0.

Raleigh also tied "Mr. Mariner" Alvin Davis for the most home runs hit by a player in their first four seasons with the franchise. It was Raleigh's 33rd long ball of the year.

Josh Rojas tacked on to the Mariners lead in the same inning with a two-RBI single that made it 3-0 through four.

The Athletics were facing Seattle's No. 6 starter Emerson Hancock and took advantage of that. Brent Rooker got two runs back for Oakland with a home run to left-center field in the top of the fifth that cut the Mariners' lead to 3-2.

Tyler Soderstrom knotted the game at 3-3 one inning later with a solo homer to left field.

Luke Raley briefly gave the Mariners the lead back in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI double. But it didn't last long.

In the top of the ninth, Shea Langeliers guaranteed the game would go at least another half-inning with a three-run homer that put the Athletics up 6-4.

But Seattle wasn't content with going out that way. Raley hit a game-tying two-run blast in the bottom of the ninth and sent the game to extras tied 6-6.

In the top of the 10th, Mariners reliever Eduard Bazardo retired the side in order (struck out one), and ended up winning his second game of the season.

This set Seattle up with a walk-off opportunity in the bottom of the 10th. Rivas was at third base and Turner, pinch-hitting for Rojas, was at the plate.

In what could be his last at-bat with the Mariners, the 39 year-old Turner grounded into a fielder's choice that scored Rivas — who made an amazing slide across home plate.

Oakland challenged the call but it was very quickly upheld.

"That's not exactly what I was trying to do up there," Turner said in a postgame interview Sunday. "But (hitting coach Edgar Martinez) talks about it all the time — just trying to get a good pitch and hit it hard somewhere. Move the ball forward, make things happen. And Rivas did an unbelievable job getting a great jump (from) third base and actually had a heck of a slide, too. ... All the credit goes to (Rivas) for getting a great jump there."

Turner's fielder's choice was Seattle's 11th walk-off of the season — tied with the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants for the most in the major leagues.

Playoffs have been off the table for the Mariners since before the series started on Friday, but they definitely seem determined to end the year on as good of a note as they can.

The best way they can do that is securing the series sweep in the last game of the season.

Seattle will close out the year against the Athletics at 12:10 p.m. PT on Sunday. Logan Gilbert will get the start for the Mariners and Mitch Spence will be on the mound for Oakland.

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Teren Kowatsch
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