Mariners again persevere in extra innings with 7-6 win over Angels

Harry Ford may not yet have an official hit, but he secured the Mariners’ sixth straight win with a walkoff sacrifice fly in the 12th inning.

At some point during a baseball season events can take place, which makes fans wonder if their team is one of destiny. The question is, have we witnessed something these past two nights to indicate that in this particular season it is the Seattle Mariners who are a team fated for greatness?

Just to be clear before going any further, we’re fully aware that many believed the Mariners were a team of destiny back in 2001 after they equalled the all-time Major League record with 116 wins. In the end though fate had other ideas, as they were subsequently knocked out in the ALCS by the New York Yankees.

That said, events at T-Mobile Park on Wednesday and Thursday night have, at the very least, given plenty of cause for optimism and excitement within the Mariners fanbase. Certainly, it’s a rare occurrence to have a team win two consecutive games in walk-off fashion in extra innings.

In addition, consider the two players responsible for the walk-off wins. You would have received astronomical odds on picking this unlikely duo to come through in the clutch, especially considering their respective lack of Major League experience.

A couple of unexpected Mariners step up in crunch time

First there was Leo Rivas, who only made his Major League debut last year and didn’t hit his first big league home run until last week. And yet there he was on Wednesday night, hitting a two-run blast in the bottom of the 13th to secure a 4-2 win and a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Fast forward to Thursday night, and this time it was Harry Ford’s turn in the series opener against the Los Angeles Angels. Despite only making his Major League debut last weekend in Atlanta and having yet to record a hit, he came through with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 12th to win the game 7-6.

Unsurprisingly, Mariners manager Dan Wilson was full of praise for Ford when speaking to the media postgame. He said:

“What an incredible (moment). He still doesn’t have any big league hits, but able to pick up that sac fly which was the ballgame tonight. Just a great at-bat. I thought he was trying to think about going the other way, he was seeing the pitch and being able to get that ball up in the air, that’s what we needed. It was a huge play for us and I know he feels good about that and will have gained some confidence from it.”

As for Ford himself, he seemed to have quite a calm and objective mindset when asked what he was thinking on his approach to the plate for the fateful at-bat. He said:

“I was thinking just do your job with the bases loaded and no outs. Get a ball to the right side, put a ball in the air and just get him to score.”

What made the moment even more spectacular was that Ford got the walkoff sacrifice fly by swinging at the first pitch. Explaining why he got right after it, he said:

“Just better to do it on the first pitch than wait. I was just looking for something to hit. That was it. It was right there.”

Dan Wilson impressed with everyone on the night

Aside from Ford’s heroics, Wilson admitted he was at a loss for words to explain what happened in general, but soon warmed up to the task. He said:

“I didn’t know what to say last night and I really don’t know what to say tonight. Wow! Just another incredible ballgame. Incredible fight in the clubhouse again and tonight coming back a couple of different times. Two extra inning wins here that are big.”

Continuing the theme from Wednesday night, Wilson again stressed about the importance of the team as a whole, with everyone having a part to play. He said:

“You can name anybody in that lineup and they made a contribution one way or the other. I think we used just about everybody tonight and top to bottom a team win, with a great atmosphere in the ballpark. It was fun and just another good win to follow on from last night’s one.”

Following on from two encouraging outings, Bryce Miller’s start on Thursday night was a little bit more up-and-down. He did strike out 11 and register no walks, but also gave up six hits and four earned runs in his 5.2 innings of action.

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Mariners bullpen carries the load again

In the end it was up to the bullpen to again do their thing one night after throwing a combined 8.1 innings. On this occasion they ‘only’ had to go 6.1 innings, including Carlos Vargas, Luke Jackson and Jose Castillo all pitching for a second consecutive night.

It really has been a tremendous couple of nights for a bullpen which has received plenty of criticism this season, but played a huge role in winning these past two games. Wilson was thrilled with his relievers, as he said:

“The bullpen just continues to throw the ball. They attack the zone, they make you do what they need you to do at the plate and they’ve done a great job of it. Good defense behind them and never allowing more than just one run in any of those extra innings and allowing us to come back, with the beauty at home in those extra innings.”

Jorge Polanco thinks this is a special team

The Mariners have the longest current winning streak in the majors at six games and combined with the Astros’ loss on Thursday in Toronto against the Blue Jays, are now tied at the top of the AL West. Asked about how the team rebounded so well from their recent road woes, Jorge Polanco said:

“We are staying together, we are supporting each other. We came (back home) with one decision that we are going to play hard and don’t care about what other people think. Just take it game to game and the way things are going right now, I think that mentality it going to get us far.”

Whether the Mariners really are a team of destiny remains to be seen, but you better believe Polanco thinks highly of his teammates and believes in them. Speaking about the two consecutive walkoff wins, he said:

“It says a lot about this team, this is a special team. I’ve been on playoff teams before and I think this is the best team I’ve been on. We are just here to win and got out there and give our best effort.”

Photos court​‌esy of Tim Rodgers Photography

Aside from Bryan Woo, what is your opinion of the Mariners rotation at the moment? Pending the team making the playoffs, how much confidence do you have in the starters – even in a shortened three-man rotation – being able to produce more like they did last season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.