On Tuesday night, the Seattle Mariners defeated the Oakland A’s 3-2, thanks to back-to-back 3-run home runs by JP Crawford and Thailand France in the fifth inning. This victory marked the Athletics’ sixth straight loss and their first time finishing 14th in 16 years. With a record of 10-40, Oakland is expected to go 32-130, which would make them the team with the most losses in a season since the Cleveland Spiders in 1899.
In the eighth inning, a controversial fan sabotage call hurt the Mariners. A fan raised his arm over the field from the stands as Ramon Laureano attempted to catch a foul fly by Julio Rodriguez. Although the fan did not touch the ball, the first base umpire ruled that the fan obstructed Laureano’s vision, ultimately resulting in Rodriguez being put out. A video review supported this decision.
Marco Gonzalez allowed RBIs to Ramon Laureano and Carlos Pérez off in the first inning. He allowed five hits and struck out four over the course of six innings. Tom Murphy doubled off Luis Medina in the fifth, and Crawford hit his second homer of the season to tie the game. France hit the game-winning home run six pitches later.
Trevor Gott, Justin Topa, and Paul Suwald each pitched one inning and had five hits. Suwald kept perfection with 10 save chances. The Athletics reinstated Trevor May from his 15-day IL and optioned Kyle Muller to Triple-A Las Vegas. Ken Woldichuk will start for the Athletics on Wednesday, and rookie Bryce Miller will make his debut for the Mariners.
Overall, the exciting victory for the Seattle Mariners demonstrated the potential of their young aces, including JP Crawford and Thailand France.