SEATTLE — The Mariners didn’t just survive their 20-game gauntlet out of the All-Star break that featured 13 games against the Yankees and Astros, they punctuated it in style.
Mired in a bit of a slump over the past two weeks, Carlos Santana showed why the Mariners still have him on the team and getting at-bats in key situations.
The veteran switch-hitter crushed a two-run homer in the seventh inning off Yankees reliever Albert Abreu to provide the game-winning hit in the Mariners’ 4-3 victory over the Yankees.
The Mariners took both series from the Yankees during that span and finished with a 10-10 record.
For the first six innings, it looked there might be repeat performance of Tuesday night’s pitcher duel with lefties Nestor Cortes and Robbie Ray refusing to allow a run.
Cortes, who was briefly a member of the Mariners in 2020, making one forgettable outing, was named to the All-Star team this season and pitched like it. He held the Mariners hitless over the first five innings.
Sam Haggerty broke up the no-hit bid before it became noteworthy. With one out in the sixth inning, Haggerty hammered a 2-2 fastball off the foul pole in left field for a 1-0 lead. It was his fourth homer of the season.
After holding the Yankees scoreless over the first six innings, despite issuing four walks to elevate his pitch count, Ray never made it out of the seventh. He retired Miguel Andujar on a ground out to third to start the inning, but then issued his season-high fifth walk to light-hitting Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
Facing No. 9 hitter Kyle Higashioka, Ray fell behind 3-1 in the count. After Higashioka fouled off a couple of quality sinkers on the lower outside corner of the strike zone, Ray fired his seventh straight sinker of the at-bat. This pitch stayed up in the zone and Higashioka clubbed the belt-high pitch into The ‘Pen for a two-run homer, ending Ray’s outing.
Ray’s replacement, rookie Penn Murfee, became the latest victim of the Aaron Judge MVP campaign.
Murfee retired D.J. LeMahieu but left a first-pitch slider on the inner half that Judge smashed off the out-of-town scoreboard above the bullpens. The solo blast was Judge’s MLB-leading 45th homer of the season.
