Andrés Muñoz walked four batters in the ninth inning, allowing the Milwaukee Brewers to win 6-5 against the Seattle Mariners on Friday night.
After the Mariners scored two runs to tie the game in the top of the inning, Muñoz (0-1) started the bottom half by walking three consecutive batters to load the bases. Then, William Contreras walked on a 3-1 pitch, just outside the corner, scoring a run. Muñoz had never walked more than two batters in a game before.
“They took the close pitches, and we didn’t get any calls,” said Mariners manager Scott Servais. “Very uncharacteristic of Muney. Muney usually goes in and fills up the strike zone, both with the slider and the fastball. Just wasn’t able to do it.”
It was the first time since June 2016 that the Mariners lost a game on a walk-off walk. During the winning rally, the Brewers capitalized on pitches that were close to the corners. Brewers manager Pat Murphy praised plate umpire Derek Thomas afterward, noting his tight strike zone.
“You have a young umpire who was very good tonight — very good — very tight,” Murphy said. “He was more tight than other umpires. Some of the young guys have that, where they’re calling it you know, like, nothing on the corner. I thought he did a good job.
Muñoz was close but not there. Very frustrating I’m sure for the other team, but credit to our guys for having good at-bats.” Former Brewers infielder Luis Urías contributed to the tying rally in his first game against his old team.
Dylan Moore and Samad Taylor opened the ninth with singles off Abner Uribe (1-0). Urías, who played for the Brewers from 2020-23, followed with a ground-rule double. One out later, Julio Rodríguez grounded to short to bring home Taylor with the tying run.
It was the first blown save in four opportunities for Uribe, who is filling in as the Brewers’ closer with two-time NL reliever of the year Devin Williams expected to miss the first half of the season due to stress fractures in his back.
Willy Adames, Oliver Dunn and Christian Yelich hit solo homers off Mariners starter Logan Gilbert. “So far, we’ve played a lot of tight baseball games,” Dunn said. “I think it’s something we’re good at. Over the year, I think we’re going to end up being one of the teams that’s super-good in those close games.”
The Mariners had rallied from an early 3-0 deficit to tie it in the sixth off Brewers starter Freddy Peralta, who had held Seattle scoreless for the first five innings.
Yelich put Milwaukee back in front when he led off the bottom of the sixth with his third homer of the season, a 431-foot blast deep into the second deck of the right-field seats.
Milwaukee added an insurance run in the eighth on Dunn’s two-out RBI single. Gilbert allowed four runs and five hits with one walk and seven strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. Peralta also struck out seven while giving up three runs, four hits, and one walk in 5 2/3 innings.
