SEATTLE — In an exciting major league debut, Cole Young clinched the Seattle Mariners a 5-4 win over the Minnesota Twins with a decisive fielder’s choice hit in the 11th inning on Saturday night.
Young, who was called up from Triple-A Tacoma just before the game, angled a dribbler towards the first-base line against pitcher Cole Sands (3-2), driving in Miles Mastrobuoni. The throw from Minnesota’s first baseman, Ty France, was too late to prevent the winning run.
Earlier in the game, Seattle’s catcher, Cal Raleigh, hit his 22nd home run of the season in the third inning, tying him with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani for the major league lead in homers this year.
However, the Mariners encountered a familiar setback as they surrendered their lead in the ninth inning for the second consecutive game. Trevor Larnach of the Twins hit a single to equalize the match, with Byron Buxton crossing home after reaching base due to a fielding error by reliever Carlos Vargas.
Seattle initially overtook the Twins with J.P. Crawford’s two-run homer in the seventh inning, changing the game’s momentum.
The Twins had jumped to an early lead, scoring three runs in the second inning, thanks to Matt Wallner’s two-run homer in his first game back from injury and Buxton’s timely RBI single.
Nonetheless, the Mariners’ bullpen delivered a strong performance, curtailing further threats from the Minnesota lineup. Collin Snider (2-1) threw shutout innings in both the 10th and 11th innings to maintain stability.
A standout defensive moment occurred in the 10th inning as Julio Rodriguez showcased his arm strength by throwing out Matt Wallner at home plate as he attempted to score from second on Kody Clemens’ single. The inning quickly ended when Harrison Bader grounded into a double play.
In a notable achievement, Raleigh became the first catcher in major league history to hit 22 home runs before May concluded.
Looking ahead, Seattle sets its sights on the series finale, with right-hander Luis Castillo (4-3, 3.32 ERA) poised to start against Minnesota’s right-hander Chris Paddack (2-5, 3.92 ERA) on Sunday.