CLEVELAND — One out away from closing out a yet another hard-fought victory over a team with similar postseason ambitions, one play away from earning a three-game sweep in their first road series and one catch away from offering a solid retort to any early doubt from a less-than-stellar homestand, the Mariners, specifically Teoscar Hernandez, had it all within their grasp.
Hernandez couldn’t quite hang on to what should’ve been the final out of the game, a leaping attempt just before the ball bounced off his glove onto the warning track to allow both runners to score and tie the game at 3.
That missed play would lead to three extra innings of chaos, including the Mariners blowing three more save situations, the final one coming in the bottom of the 12th when Josh Bell’s soft ground ball allowed Amed Rosario to slide in just before Kolten Wong’s wayward throw from second base for a 7-6 victory.
