Rookie second baseman Cole Young came through in extra innings again Saturday night, delivering a walk-off single in the 11th to lead the Seattle Mariners to a 7-6 win over the Houston Astros, according to the Associated Press.
Young, who had a walk-off fielder’s choice in his major league debut earlier this season, added another dramatic moment to his short career.
With two outs and a runner on third, he reached down for a splitter from Astros reliever Hector Neris and sent it into right field.
The hit scored automatic runner Dominic Canzone and sealed the win for Seattle.
The 21-year-old became the first Mariners player that young to record a walk-off hit since Alex Rodriguez did it on March 31, 1996, against the Chicago White Sox.
Seattle looked in control early, building a 4-1 lead through three innings.
But things unraveled in the sixth after reliever Carlos Vargas struggled with command.
He hit Brice Matthews and Zack Short in back-to-back plate appearances, prompting warnings to both dugouts.
Houston capitalized on the momentum shift. Jose Altuve, Victor Caratini, and Christian Walker each drove in runs with singles, giving the Astros a 5-4 lead.
The Mariners tied the game in the eighth when Astros reliever Bryan Abreu spiked a slider that bounced away, allowing Randy Arozarena to score from third on a wild pitch.
That forced extra innings.
Both teams scored once in the 10th before Eduard Bazardo pitched a scoreless top of the 11th for Seattle.
Bazardo earned the win, improving to 4-0 on the season.
Ahead of Young’s game-winning hit, Miles Mastrobuoni helped set the stage with a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt that moved Canzone to third.
Both Mastrobuoni and Jorge Polanco executed key bunts during extra innings, keeping the Mariners’ scoring chances alive.
The three-game series wraps up Sunday at T-Mobile Park.
The Astros will send right-hander Hunter Brown (9-4, 2.43 ERA) to the mound against Seattle’s Bryan Woo (8-4, 2.75).
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