Leo Rivas scored after Justin Turner hit a grounder that allowed the Seattle Mariners to beat the Oakland Athletics 7-6 in 10 innings on Saturday night.
Pinch-runner Rivas dodged a tag from Shea Langeliers at home plate with a wide slide, giving Seattle its third straight win and 11th victory in their last at-bat of the season.
“That’s not exactly what I was trying to do up there,” pinch-hitter Turner said about his grounder to second. “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 and make things happen.”
This comeback win was the Mariners’ 32nd of the season, even though it had no impact on their chances for the postseason after they were eliminated earlier in the week. The teams exchanged late leads, and Luke Raley helped the Mariners come back twice, leading to their seventh win in the last nine games.
First, Julio Rodríguez scored from first base on Raley’s double down the left-field line, putting Seattle ahead 4-3 in the seventh inning. Later, Raley hit a two-run homer to right field, tying the game at 6-6 in the ninth.
This was his 22nd homer, coming after Langeliers had given the A’s a 6-4 lead with a three-run homer in the top of the ninth.
“It’s the big leagues,” Raley said about his motivation. “Not everybody gets to do this. I will never take a day for granted.”
Eduard Bazardo (2-0) got the win, while Scott Alexander (1-3) took the loss.
Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh hit his 92nd career homer in the fourth inning, tying him with Hall of Famers Mike Piazza of the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets for the most home runs by a catcher in the first four years of a career.
This also ties him with Alvin Davis for the team record. Ninety of his 92 homers came after his first year in the majors.
Josh Rojas added a two-run single later in the inning, which put Seattle ahead 3-0.
