Mariners Rally Past Astros 6-5 in 10 Innings to Keep Playoff Hopes Alive

Seattle Stays Alive With Dramatic Extra-Inning Comeback

The Seattle Mariners kept their slim playoff hopes alive Wednesday night, rallying past the Houston Astros 6-5 in 10 innings on Josh Naylor’s walk off single. With the automatic runner on second to begin the bottom of the 10th, Randy Arozarena eventually came around to score the winning run when Naylor lined a single to right-center against Astros closer Josh Hader.

The victory moved Seattle to 74-84, keeping the Mariners four games behind the American League playoff picture with four games remaining. Houston fell to 78-80 and remained tied with Texas atop the AL West. The Astros hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Rangers if the teams finish with identical records.

Mariners Overcome Late Houston Lead

Seattle trailed 5-4 entering the bottom of the 10th after Yordan Alvarez, Houston’s automatic runner, scored on Isaac Paredes’ triple to right field.The Mariners quickly answered. With one out and the bases loaded, Julio Rodríguez worked a full count walk from Hader, forcing home J.P. Crawford with the tying run.

Naylor followed by sending Hader’s next pitch into right center field, allowing Arozarena to score his third run of the night and complete the comeback. Rodríguez finished with three hits in addition to his game tying walk, while Arozarena played a major role throughout the comeback.

Seattle Battles Back From Four Run Deficit

Houston jumped ahead with a four run third inning, capped by Yainer Díaz’s two-run homer, his 14th of the season. The Astros appeared to have control before Seattle answered with three runs in the bottom half. Dominic Canzone delivered a two run double to pull the Mariners within one and extended his career-best hitting streak to 12 games.

Seattle then tied the game in the fifth when Canzone singled home Arozarena. Díaz, Jose Altuve and Nick Allen each collected two hits for Houston, while the Astros were unable to protect their late advantage.

Alvarez Continues Triple Crown Pursuit

Alvarez went 2 for 4 and remained in the thick of the American League Triple Crown race despite not driving in a run. His two hits raised his league-leading batting average to .316. Tampa Bay’s Chandler Simpson entered the day second at .309 but did not play against the New York Yankees.

Alvarez also remained tied for the major league home run lead with 41, alongside Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero, Baltimore’s Pete Alonso and New York Yankees slugger Ben Rice. Alvarez’s 102 RBIs rank second in the AL, eight behind Alonso.

Criswell Earns the Win as Hader Takes the Loss

Seattle’s Cooper Criswell pitched the 10th inning and earned the victory to improve to 4-2. Hader, who also worked the ninth, took the loss and fell to 4-2 after surrendering the tying walk and Naylor’s game-winning hit.

The victory was particularly important for Seattle, which entered the night needing to continue winning to preserve its postseason chances with the regular season nearing its conclusion.

What’s Next for the Mariners and Astros

The Mariners will send right-hander Bryan Woo to the mound Thursday in the opener of a season-ending four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels. Woo enters the start with a 12-9 record and a 3.92 ERA.

Houston will begin a four-game series at the Athletics on Thursday, with right-hander Peter Lambert scheduled to start. Lambert enters with an 8-10 record and a 3.70 ERA. With only four games remaining, both the AL West race and Seattle’s playoff hopes are heading into a dramatic final stretch.