Mariners clinch White Sox series with extra innings 2-1 win

Bryce Miller bounces back in style from his previous start, while Mitch Haniger comes through in the clutch to secure a Mariners victory.

If you could pick one theme or narrative from Wednesday night’s game for the Mariners, we would go with redemption. And in particular, we would focus on the redemption of Bryce Miller and Mitch Haniger.

For Miller, it was about rebounding from a disastrous outing in Kansas City. For Haniger, it was about proving he isn’t quite washed up yet, after mostly disappointing since his return to Seattle.

Ultimately, the duo combined to help the Mariners beat the White Sox 2-1 and secure their four-game series with one contest remaining. It also secured a Major League-high 16th one-run win game, bringing back memories of 2021 and 2022, when this was similarly a regular occurrence for the Mariners.

The return of Miller Time

Miller came into the game needing to have a strong outing, after a poor showing versus the Royals. On that night the Mariners blew a 8-0 lead and lost 10-9, with the righty being the main culprit as he gave up a season-high seven earned runs.

This time around couldn’t have been more different for Miller, as he had arguably his best performance of the campaign. He allowed just two hits, a couple of walks and — most importantly — no runs.

The 25-year-old also struck out eight, as he matched a season and career high of 7.0 innings. He wasn’t credited with the win officially, but the Mariners don’t get the victory without his tremendous performance.

Postgame, Miller spoke to the media about what it meant after what transpired in Kansas City. He said:

“Obviously last week wasn’t ideal. The bad thing about being a starter is you’ve got to wait five days to get back, but the last four days I’ve been looking forward to it. I was excited to get out there.”

From an overall statistical perspective, Miller has improved from last season up to this point. However, it’s interesting to notice the disparity between his form at home compared to on the road.

In this respect, the Mount Pleasant, Texas native has a 1.82 ERA at T-Mobile Park as opposed to 5.94 on his travels. Talking about this, he said:

“You’ve got the fans behind you and more confidence just to throw it over the plate and attack. Especially coming off of a tough road trip, or a tough game for me, it’s good to get back home and get back on track.”

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Mariners offense lacking once more

Despite Miller’s excellent night, the Mariners struggled on offense — again — with only Luke Raley’s solo blast to speak of after eight innings. As a result, the White Sox were able to take the game to extra innings thanks to their own solo blast in the top of the ninth, courtesy of pinch-hitter Luis Robert Jr..

As much as this was frustrating for the 23,312 in attendance, it ultimately set the stage for Haniger to bring back memories of how productive he used to be for the Mariners. His moment came in the bottom of the 10th, with one out and one man on base.

Coming in as a pinch-hitter like Robert, Haniger battled through an at-bat which seemed to last a lifetime. His perseverance finally paid off though, as he hit the walk-off RBI single to right field.

It was as much-needed as it was exciting for the 33-year-old, who has spent the majority of his Major League career in Seattle. This season has been a particular slog for him, exemplified by entering the game with the projected worst slugging percentage and OPS of his eight years in the big leagues.

Postgame, Haniger sounded like the sage veteran that he is, in explaining his approach to the crucial at-bat. He said:

“I’ve been in that situation a bunch where you strike out. So you that it can go either way. You control what you can control and that’s putting a good swing on the ball. Luckily on that one, just grind through an at-bat and got enough of it to get it to the outfield.”

The manager speaks

Mariners manager Scott Servais was complimentary of Haniger for his ability to come through, especially as a pinch-hitter. He said:

“The big thing there is just the will to get the ball in play. You know, ‘I’ve got to get the ball in play. I’ve got to give our team a chance,’ and that’s a credit to him for finding out a way to do that.”

Overall, Servais was just relieved to get another win in what has been a difficult series versus the White Sox. He said:

“Series win, that’s what it’s about. (We) have a chance to sweep these guys tomorrow, won’t be easy. It hasn’t been easy over these last three nights, but we have a chance.”

With the victory the Mariners improve to a season-high 10 games above .500 with a 40-30 record, while maintaining a 6.5 game lead at the top of the AL West. Luis Castillo will take the ball on Thursday night, as the club takes aim at completing the sweep.

As we approach the halfway point of the 2024 regular season, what is your overriding perspective regarding the Mariners? Do you have confidence in this team, need to still see more from them, or are you concerned? Let us know in the comments section below.