Mariners use small ball in big moment late to beat Twins

Adam Jude, The Seattle Times on Jun 24, 2025

Published in Baseball

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MINNEAPOLIS — The Seattle Mariners started this road trip doing some big things thanks to some big home runs.

Tuesday night, they needed some small ball in a big moment.

Julio Rodriguez’s sacrifice fly with the bases loaded — on an 0-2 pitch from Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran — in the top of the ninth inning sent the Mariners to a 6-5 victory over the Twins, and the Mariners won for just the fifth time this season when they don’t hit a home run.

Matt Brash pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his first save of the season.

Andrés Muñoz, pitching for the first time in a week, pitched the eighth inning to keep the game a 5-5 tie.

With one out in the top of the ninth, pinch-hitter Jorge Polanco reached when he was hit by a Duran curveball with two strikes.

Rookie Cole Young followed with a ground-ball single up the middle, advancing pinch-runner Dylan Moore to third.

Duran then hit J.P. Crawford in the foot with a first-pitch curveball, loading the bases for Rodriguez with one out.

On a 0-2 pitch — a 100.7-mph fastball — Rodriguez sent a fly ball to the warning track in right field, driving in Moore from third to give the M’s the lead off Duran.

For the second night in a row, the Mariners broke through in the third inning, sending 10 batters to the plate and breaking through with five runs off Twins starter Chris Paddack.

After back-to-back singles from rookies Ben Williamson and Young, Paddack threw away J.P. Crawford’s sac bunt to load the bases with no outs.

Rodriguez hit a sac fly to right field to drive in the game’s first run, and Cal Raleigh followed with a single to right to drive in another.

Randy Arozarena walked to load the bases again and Luke Raley was hit by a pitch to bring in another run and make it 3-0.

Donovan Solano found another barrel, hitting a line drive up the middle to drive in two more runs and extend the M’s lead to 5-0.

It didn’t last.

Luis Castillo allowed a leadoff homer to the Twins’ Kody Clemens — son of Roger Clemens — on well-located 96-mph fastball up and in. Clemens turned on it and sent it 353 feet out to right field.

The Twins complete their comeback with four runs in the fourth inning off Castillo to tie the score at 5-5.

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