Donovan Walton led off the bottom of the 10th inning with a two-run, walk-off homer to right as the Athletics recorded a dramatic 6-5 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night at West Sacramento, Calif.
Pinch runner Michael Stefanic was the automatic runner on second to start the inning against Seattle right-hander Eduard Bazardo (3-4). The left-handed-hitting Walton jumped all over a 1-1 sweeper for his third hit of the night to give the Athletics their seventh victory in the last nine games.
Lawrence Butler had three hits, including a two-run homer, for the Athletics (60-88). Jeff McNeil had two hits, two runs and an RBI as the A’s defeated Seattle for the fourth time in five meetings this month.
Julio Rodriguez hit a run-scoring ground single with two outs in the top of the 10th to give Seattle a 5-4 lead prior to Walton’s winning blast.
Lazaro Montes hit a pinch-hit, two-run blast as Seattle (69-79) endured a painful loss.
Rodriguez, J.P. Crawford, Dominic Canzone and Josh Naylor each had two hits for the Mariners, who trail the third-place Cleveland Guardians by six games for the final American League wild-card spot. Seattle is six games behind the first-place Houston Astros and three games behind the Texas Rangers in the AL West.
Randy Arozarena was the automatic runner on second to start the Seattle 10th before Chris Roycroft (2-0) retired the first two hitters. Rodriguez then hit a grounder that eluded the dives of shortstop Alika Williams and second baseman Walton as Arozarena scored from third with the go-ahead run.
Naylor followed with a single and a stolen base to put runners on second and third, but Seattle’s bid to tack on more runs was thwarted when Denzel Clarke made a diving grab of Montes’ liner into the right-center gap.
The Mariners trailed by two runs in the sixth when Naylor reached on a one-out fielding error by A’s reliever Scott Blewett. Montes then batted for Taylor Ward and sent a 430-foot missile over the wall in right-center to tie the score at 4.
George Kirby of the Mariners allowed four runs and nine hits over six innings. He struck out five and walked two.
Jeffrey Springs of the A‘s gave up two runs and six hits over five innings. He walked two and fanned one.
Seattle pushed across a run in the first on two singles and Cal Raleigh’s fielder’s choice.
The Athletics tied the score in the bottom of the inning on McNeil’s RBI double. Three batters later, McNeil scored when Max Muncy reached on an infield hit.
The Mariners tied it in the second on Weston Wilson’s fielder’s choice.
McNeil led off the third with a single and Butler slammed a one-out blast to right to give the Athletics a 4-2 lead.
