M’s win strange game to salvage series finale against A’s

Published 6:07 pm Wednesday, April 22, 2026

SEATTLE — A catch that wasn’t caught.

A closer who didn’t close, lost a lead and got the win.

Winning a game while losing a series at home to a homeless team.

It was that kind of game Wednesday at T-Mobile Park, where somehow the Seattle Mariners came away with a 5-4 win over the Athletics courtesy of the rare sight of a left-handed hitter driving a ball to left field.

It was the third hit to left field of the afternoon for Josh Naylor, who drove in Cal Raleigh for a 5-4 walkoff win after closer Andres Munoz (3-2) blew a one-run save opportunity in the top of the ninth.

“Really just trying to hit it where it was pitched and hope it falls,” said Naylor of his approach on Wednesday. “And if it doesn’t, at least I hit it hard and I stay through the baseball. And if it does fall, it’s even better.”

The Mariners salvaged a win in the finale of a three-game series against the A’s (13-12), who use a minor league park in Sacramento after ditching Oakland.

The Mariners (11-15) lit up the A’s for 14 hits, but only two of those hits drove in runs. In addition to Naylor’s game-winning single, Cal Raleigh homered for the third straight game as Seattle rebounded from Monday and Tuesday losses in the three-game series.

Seattle’s other three runs came via sacrifice flies from Randy Arozarena and Rob Refsnyder, and Julio Rodriguez’s RBI groundout.

While many unconventional plays unfolded during the game, Logan Gilbert was involved in a play that will likely be replayed for years.

The Mariners pitcher, who scuffled through four innings, caught a line drive with his shirt, but it was not a catch.

A’s left fielder Carlos Cortes smashed a line drive 108 mph toward Gilbert’s stomach. The ball managed to go between two buttons on Gilbert’s jersey and settled in near his right hip.

It was ruled a base hit that loaded the bases because a player cannot use gear other than a glove to record a catch.

“I didn’t know the rule, and at first I thought I was pretty fortunate that it was a catch — but I guess it wasn’t a catch,” Gilbert said. “But at the same time, if they hit it, like 110, off the bat, I don’t really feel like I deserve an out there.”

“It was just like a blur. I mean, I thought it was coming for my face for a second. So all things considered, it could have been worse.”

Naylor, playing first base, watched as Gilbert spun around looking on the ground for the baseball that was inside his jersey.

“I thought it was in his glove, and he didn’t know he caught it, and he was looking around like trying to find it,” Naylor said. “But it was hit so hard that I think he thought he maybe it hit his glove, and it bobbled somewhere else.”

In the scorebook, it was simply a base hit to the pitcher to load the bases. Two of those Athletics baserunners would come around to score.

Tyler Soderstrom drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Jeff McNeil drove in a second run with a line drive to center field. Rodriguez misplayed the ball in center field for an error that allowed Cortes to reach third, but Raleigh threw out McNeil trying to steal second to avert further opening-inning damage.

Gilbert needed 73 pitches (45 strikes) to get through three innings. The A’s loaded the bases in the third, but Gilbert got out of it with Austin Wynns’ soft-liner to a hard-charging Arozarena in left field.

Raleigh homered for the third straight game in the third, a 106 mph solo shot to right field that cut the A’s edge to 3-2. Gilbert exited after four innings and 89 pitches.

Refsnyder tied the score at 3-3 with a sacrifice fly in the sixth, and the Mariners took their first lead in the seventh.

Crawford singled, and went to third on a Raleigh double that went under Cortes’ glove in right. Crawford had to hold up before running, and eventually made it to third. He scored on Rodriguez’s RBI groundout to shortstop Jacob Wilson.

Matt Brash needed just 10 pitches to dispose of the A’s in the seventh, but Mariners manager Dan Wilson tabbed Cooper Criswell to pitch the eighth with Gabe Speier and Eduard Bazardo likely shelved due to recent heavy use.

Criswell came through in his first chance as an eighth-inning setup man and gave way to Munoz for a save attempt in the ninth.

With one out, Munoz attempted to bury a 2-2 slider low, but Nick Kurtz met the pitch with his bat as it crossed near the middle of the plate in the bottom of the zone. After it traveled 438 feet over the center field fence, the A’s had managed a 4-4 tie.

“Muni, I thought threw the ball well,” said Wilson, whose team will open a six-game road trip in St. Louis on Friday. “Kurtz just was able to get one on him.”

A few minutes later, Munoz became the winning pitcher.

Mariners No. 9 hitter Leo Rivas singled to lead off the bottom of the ninth, but was wiped off the bases when J.P. Crawford grounded into a double play. Three straight base hits later, the Mariners had an unusual victory.