Mariners waste Julio Rodríguez's clutch hit with costly 10th inning

Ryan Divish, The Seattle Times on Mar 29, 2026

Published in Baseball

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SEATTLE — The joyful glee was still reverberating through T-Mobile Park when the top of the 10th inning started. A crowd of 43,283 was still celebrating Julio Rodríguez’s game-tying single in the bottom of the ninth off Cleveland Guardians closer Cade Smith, scoring Cole Young. They cheered, they danced — possibly to stay warm on the chilly Friday evening — and welcomed another inning of baseball.

But that happy dance would be replaced by with a sad trudge from the stands with a disappointing 6-5 loss to the Guardians.

The celebration from Rodríguez’s clutch hit ended almost immediately when leadoff hitter Steven Kwan executed what was supposed to be a sacrifice bunt to perfection. On the first pitch he saw from Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz, Kwan put a bunt down the third base line and raced for first.

Third baseman Brendan Donovan charged on the ball and gloved it on the run. Knowing he had to get rid of the ball fast to even have a chance at an out, he fired across his body without having a good grip on the ball. The throw was nowhere close to first baseman Josh Naylor, landing in shallow right field. It allowed automatic runner Brayan Rocchio to score from second with the go-ahead run.

A one-run deficit? It wasn’t impossible to even or overcome.

But when Chase DeLauter stayed on high fastball away, sending it over the wall in right field for a two-run homer, the three-run lead would be too much for the Mariners to overcome.

They made a run at a comeback with Luke Raley smashing a two-run homer to deep right-center off right-hander Connor Brogdon. It was Raley’s third homer in three games.

But it wasn’t enough.

Brogdon struck out Leo Rivas and Cole Young to end the game.

The Mariners wasted a quality start from Bryan Woo.

Woo dominated for the first five innings, allowing just two baserunners — a second-inning bloop single to David Fry and a one-out double to Angel Martinez in the fifth — while striking out seven.

But in the sixth, Woo created his own problems, walking the No. 9 hitter Rocchio to start the inning. But he came back to retire the next two batters he faced, getting Kwan to fly out to center and striking out DeLauter for the second time in the game.

That third out wouldn’t come immediately.

Woo fell behind 2-0 and 3-1 to Jose Ramirez, who took advantage of a low fastball on the inside corner, lining it into the right field corner for a double that scored Rocchio. Ramirez, who advanced to third on the throw home, scored moments later when Kyle Manzardo dumped a first-pitch fastball into right field for game-tying single.

Woo would finish the inning, striking out David Fry, but he was clearly irritated as he walked off the mound. His final line: six innings pitched, two runs allowed on four hits with a walk and nine strikeouts.

The Guardians took the lead an inning later. Eduard Bazardo retired the first two batters he faced, but then proceeded to walk C.J. Kayfus and Rocchio, who was down 0-2 in the count.

Manager Dan Wilson opted to stay with Bazardo to face the left-handed hitting Kwan despite having Gabe Speier up and ready in the bullpen. Kwan was hitless in three previous plate appearances vs. Speier with two strikeouts.

Kwan singled to left field to drive in the go-ahead run as Speier stood on the bullpen mound and watched. He would enter after the Kwan hit and retire DeLauter to end the inning.

The Mariners grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second inning. After hustling down the line to make sure his groundball to second base wouldn’t turn into an inning-ending double play, Donovan would later score from first base on Victor Robles’ double to right field in his first plate appearance of the season.

Seattle pushed the lead to 2-0 in the fourth inning. Randy Arozarena led off with an infield single and later came around to score on a wild pitch from Guardians stater Joey Cantillo with two outs.