SEATTLE — In a thrilling finish, Cal Raleigh launched his league-leading 23rd home run, and Randy Arozarena delivered a game-winning single in the ninth, securing a 2-1 victory for the Seattle Mariners over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.
Randy Arozarena played hero in the ninth inning, grounding a base hit up the middle to bring Julio Rodriguez across the plate. Rodriguez kicked off the inning with a single against Griffin Jax, stole second, and advanced to third when Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers committed a throwing error.
Raleigh’s impressive seventh-inning homer came off a curveball from Twins starter Chris Paddack, who was outstanding through eight innings. Paddack tallied 10 strikeouts, allowed just one walk, and limited Seattle to four hits. He was precise with 75 strikes out of 110 pitches.
Seattle’s starter, Luis Castillo, kept Minnesota scoreless over his six innings on the mound, but the Twins managed to level the score in the ninth thanks to Harrison Bader’s sacrifice fly against closer Andrés Muñoz.
One key moment during Castillo’s stint came when the Twins had a chance to score with runners on the corners in the third inning. However, Mariners third baseman Ben Williamson expertly handled a tricky ground ball from Carlos Correa, ending the inning and preserving the scoreless tie.
Cal Raleigh has been on a power surge, becoming the first Mariners player to hit at least ten home runs in consecutive months since the days of Nelson Cruz in 2016. He also became the first to achieve this feat in back-to-back months since Alex Rodriguez in 1999.
Looking forward, the Twins will send Joe Ryan (5-2, 2.57 ERA) to the mound against the Athletics on Monday night. Meanwhile, after a day off, the Mariners will start George Kirby (0-2, 11.42 ERA) on Tuesday as they kick off a three-game series against Baltimore.