Mariners waste historic comeback by losing in 16 innings
SEATTLE – Kyle Seager’s first career grand slam was a historic one and gave Seattle a chance for an improbable victory. It also was one of the only clutch hits for the Mariners during a frustrating loss.
Seager’s drive in the 14th inning capped a remarkable five-run rally, but the Chicago White Sox got RBI singles from Alejandro De Aza and Alex Rios two innings later and held on for a 7-5 victory on Wednesday.
The Mariners trailed 5-1 when Seager drove a 1-2 pitch from Addison Reed over the wall in right-center with two out for his eighth homer. It was the last hit of a remarkable inning.
According to the Mariners, with information from Elias Sports Bureau, Seager became the first player to hit a tying grand slam in extra innings, and no team had scored five or more runs in the 14th inning or later to tie a game. It also was the first game in major league history in which each team scored five or more runs in the game when it was scoreless through the ninth.
But Seager’s feat turned into a footnote because of numerous missed opportunities early in the game for Seattle.
“The most frustrating part is not executing. It was a great example for those guys,” Seattle manager Eric Wedge said. “Really it was both teams were having issues with that today.”
Rios had four hits and two RBIs for Chicago, which snapped an eight-game losing streak. Gordon Beckham also had four hits.
Seattle had a chance at its first sweep the season, but it left a runner at third in the first, second, fifth, sixth and 10th innings. Seager was thrown out at home to end the fourth while trying to score on Nick Franklin’s fly ball.
The missed chances ruined another impressive outing from Hisashi Iwakuma, who pitched eight innings and retired his final 16 batters.
The Mariners were 3 for 16 with runners in scoring position after beginning the day with a .221 batting average in that category.
After 13 innings of offensive futility, the sides combined for 10 runs and 10 hits in the 14th inning alone.
Notes
Seattle plans on having Michael Morse (quad) back in the lineup today, although Wedge has not decided if Morse will play first base or DH. … Catcher Brandon Bantz has been selected from Triple-A by the M’s to add depth with Jesus Sucre likely out a few days after getting hit on his left hand. Seattle transferred outfielder Franklin Gutierrez to the 60-day disabled list to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Bantz and optioned infielder Carlos Triunfel to Triple-A Tacoma. … For a change, the M’s don’t have a clear idea of how the first round of baseball’s amateur draft will play out. The past two seasons, Seattle has picked Nos. 2 and 3 overall in the draft. The M’s simply waited to see who was picked above them and then had their choice of one of the top prospects in the entire draft pool. This year, the Mariners hold the 12th pick in today’s draft.