Mariners Tie for AL West Lead After Thrilling 7-6 Win Over Angels!

SEATTLE -- In a nail-biting, extra-innings affair, the Seattle Mariners edged out the Los Angeles Angels 7-6 on Thursday night, propelling them into a tie with the Houston Astros for the AL West lead. The victory, sealed by rookie Harry Ford's clutch sacrifice fly in the 12th inning, marked the Mariners' sixth consecutive win and their second straight walk-off triumph in extra innings.

The game was a rollercoaster of emotions, with the Mariners initially taking a 4-0 lead in the second inning, fueled by two-run doubles from J.P. Crawford and Julio Rodríguez. However, the Angels battled back, with Logan Davidson hitting his first major league home run and Mike Trout launching his 399th career homer to tie the game at 4-4 in the fifth inning. Trout's homer ended a 29-game drought for the superstar.

The drama continued into extra innings. Matthew Lugo's RBI single in the top of the 12th gave the Angels a 6-5 lead, but the Mariners responded immediately. Jorge Polanco led off the bottom half with a double, scoring automatic runner Josh Naylor. After loading the bases with no outs, Harry Ford delivered the game-winning sacrifice fly, sending Polanco sliding headfirst across home plate.

J.P. Crawford had a stellar night, driving in three runs for the Mariners, including a crucial game-tying single in the 11th inning. On the pitching side, Bryce Miller impressed with a career-high 11 strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

This victory marks a significant moment for the Mariners as they continue their playoff push. They also made a bit of MLB history, becoming the first team since the introduction of the automatic runner rule in 2020 to play consecutive games lasting at least 12 innings.

Looking ahead, the Angels will face the Mariners again on Friday night, with Yusei Kikuchi taking the mound for the Angels against Luis Castillo for the Mariners.