The Mariners had a golden chance in extra innings, down one with runners on first and third and no outs. But things quickly unraveled. Randy got fooled by a slider and threw his bat as if it were a foul ball. Julio Rodríguez, thinking the play was dead, wandered off third base. He didn’t realize the ball was still live. Everyone else did. The Yankees threw to third base, tagged him out, and what should have been a prime scoring opportunity turned into a disaster. Instead of one out with runners in scoring position, it became two outs with only a runner on first.
The Yankees held their lead from there. Reliever Ian Hamilton kept the Mariners in check by mixing sliders and fastballs, including a nasty fastball up and in. He finished off the inning with a strikeout, locking in both the win and a playoff spot for New York. The dugout erupted, knowing they scraped by with a major assist from Seattle’s mental error. A simple heads-up play turned the game. A confused kid in a Yankees cap summed up the moment best, stunned by how it all unfolded.