The Mariners’ season outlook appeared on the verge of going from bad to worse at the weekend, before Cole Young took over the Giants series.
Things were looking dire through six innings on Saturday evening in Seattle. The Mariners had lost the previous night 7-0 to the Giants, and were again trailing — this time 3-0 — having mustered just one hit. Then things inexplicably turned on their head in the bottom of the seventh thanks to Cole Young, who had produced the solitary M’s hit up to that point.
The Mariners finally generated some traffic, although in keeping with a lineup which has struggled to generate offense this season, they had to work hard for it. Randy Arozarena got on board after being hit by a pitch with one out, quickly followed by Josh Naylor courtesy of a walk. Cal Raleigh’s nightmare season continued as he flied out, bringing Young up to the plate with two outs.
In theory, relying on one of your youngest players to get something going is not ideal, but the reality is Young is a .300 hitter with RISP this season. And he seemingly has ice in his veins when it’s RISP with two outs, as evidenced by his .412 batting average. So of course he proceeded to launch a three-run bomb to tie the game at 3-3.
Julio Rodriguez produces an ideal end to his first game back
Suddenly, a game that the Mariners had no right to be in, was there for the taking. And they subsequently did take it, as Julio Rodriguez hit a sacrifice fly which brought Victor Robles home in the bottom of the 10th, to secure an unlikely 4-3 walk-off win. It proved to be a fitting conclusion for Rodriguez, in his first game back from concussion protocol.
Make no mistake though, that this was Young’s night and he deservedly took the majority of the plaudits. He was asked about how the team reacted after his home run, becoming dialled in to get the win. He said:
“Yeah, I think it’s huge. Just realizing what’s at stake. We had a lot of momentum in the last couple innings. So, just understanding that if we just play good ball, we’re going to win this game. Just focusing on every pitch and being ready for anything. So yeah, it helped us.”
M’s have the best second baseman in the AL in Cole Young and it isn’t close
It really has been impressive to watch how much Young has grown in his second year in the major, with his 3.4 bWAR easily the best among all second baseman in the American League. (Chase Meidroth is second, with a 2.1 bWAR.) He was asked about how his approach at the plate has changed from last season and he said:
“I feel like when I first got up here, a lot of it was just trying to do a lot, trying to do too much and be someone I’m not. But I realized that if I just stay simple and try to help the team win in any way, it’s helped me out a ton. I put the ball in play more and I don’t strike out as much. So, that simple mindset has helped me out so much.”
You can just imagine the uproar if the Mariners had lost on Saturday night, falling three games below .500 in a season where expectations are so high. Instead, they were able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, all thanks to Young. As it turned out, he wasn’t even finished yet.
The Mariners offense found it easier to accumulate hits during Sunday’s rubber match versus the Giants. However, things were looked tight as they clung to a 4-3 lead through six innings. So wouldn’t you know it would be Young who finally provided some breathing space, with a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to make it 6-3, which was how the game ended.
This represented the first time in his career Young homered in back-to-back games. Further, his 17 career home runs are tied for sixth-most by a player age 22-or-younger in franchise history. He might not be the most potent bat in the lineup, but he’s proven to be extremely clutch (and durable), while his aforementioned 3.4 bWAR leads all Mariners players overall.
Dan Wilson praises Cole Young’s adjustments at the plate
Mariners manager Dan Wilson was understandably asked about Young following the series finale. Wilson complimented him on his ability to be able to adjust to dealing with the shift to facing a left-handed starter. He said:
“I was happy to see the adjustment that he made. He got the sliders early in that first at-bat and then (was) able to get a hang-in slider there his second or third time, and get that base hit to get him back in. Then able to get the right-hander and get the homer later. Good adjustments by him and we’ve seen that from him and, but he keeps doing it. And defensively at second, he continues to play well also.”
There’s clearly still plenty for the Mariners to improve on, but getting back to .500 at 50-50 is a good start. They are within half a game of the top of the AL West and now only one game out of a wild card spot. It the Giants series does end up representing the building point for the M’s finally winning more consistently, then fans everywhere will be lining up to shake Young’s hand.
Photos courtesy of Tim Rogers Photography
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