Julio’s clutch homer, Mariners joy

Julio Rodríguez hit a game-tying, two-run homer Saturday night, and Seattle finished the comeback with an 8-7 walk-off win over Houston. (mlb.com) Seattle trailed 7-2 before scoring five runs in the fifth inning at T-Mobile Park. Rodríguez’s homer was his first of the 2026 season, and it tied the game at 7-7. (mlb.com) J.P. Crawford ended it in the ninth with an opposite-field single after Houston reliever Bryan Abreu walked the bases loaded with one out. The announced crowd was 43,294, and the game lasted 3 hours, 12 minutes. (apnews.com, baseball-reference.com) The swing from Rodríguez landed hard because Seattle had opened the season with a quiet bat from its center fielder. Entering Saturday, he had no home runs and a.148 batting average through 14 games. (espn.com) Seattle also came in trying to stop an early slide. The Mariners had lost five straight before beating Houston 9-6 on Friday, and Saturday’s rally gave them back-to-back wins over an American League West rival. (apnews.com, baseball-reference.com) Cal Raleigh gave Seattle its first punch with a two-run homer in the first inning and finished with three runs batted in. Crawford also had a two-run single in the fifth before delivering the winner in the ninth. (apnews.com, mlb.com) Houston had built its lead behind Lance McCullers Jr. and a five-run top of the fifth, but the Astros could not hold it. Their loss in Seattle was another late stumble for a club the Associated Press described as reeling. (apnews.com, baseball-reference.com) By the time Crawford’s single reached left field, Rodríguez’s homer had already become the clip fans kept replaying. Seattle got the win on the scorecard, and Rodríguez finally got the swing that reset his April. (mlb.com, mlb.com)