A Grip on Sports: There are times, like Friday night in Seattle, when one swing can swing much more than one game in a pennant race

A GRIP ON SPORTS • That is how pennants are won.

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• J.P. Crawford, mired in a 3-for-45 slump, didn’t miss. A 2-0 fastball from Rangers closer Robert Garcia on Friday night stayed on the inner half of the strike zone until Crawford turned on it violently. And drove it into the T-Mobile sky.

When it landed deep in the right-field seats, Crawford and the Mariners had turned a one-run deficit into the delirium of a 4-3 win. And turned the postgame fireworks show into a celebration of success and possibilities instead of a funeral attended by 40,984 people.

One pitch. One swing. One win.

But it was so much more than that.

It was the culmination of a week so outside of the franchise’s recent character as to actually make even the most-jaded of fans hope – heck, possibly believe. It was the culmination of a gutty pitching performance from Logan Gilbert, who yielded three runs in a sloppy third inning – and then nothing more over the next three. It was the culmination of a bullpen that held the Rangers right there – even without Andrés Muñoz leaving his seat. And it was the culmination of a night in which the offense came through just often enough – not just to win but to gain a game on the Astros.

And therein lies the rub. To win the American League West, Seattle must catch front-running Houston, which also did not stand pat at the trade deadline.

The M’s spent three months – May, June and July – floating in circles, playing .500 baseball. And losing ground, falling as many as seven games back as late as July 10. The trade deadline additions have added some horsepower to the offense, sure, and seem to have pointed the ship in the right direction.

Now we will find out if there is enough time to run down Houston.

The last two months feature just three games with the Astros. In late September. In Texas. The idea of grabbing the Astros by the backside and leapfrogging over them into the postseason is a fantasy. Seattle needs to win as many games as possible and hope Houston doesn’t get hot.

After Friday’s improbable win – did we mention Crawford is the first M’s shortstop to hit a home run that gave Seattle a come-from-behind walk-off win? – the Mariners have 51 games remaining. Only a dozen of them against their division. Heck, in their last 40 games, they play more against the National League than the American (21/40), including a season-ending six-game homestand vs. the Rockies and Dodgers.

Maybe that’s not a bad thing, considering outside of the Rangers – Seattle is 9-2 against them with only these weekend’s games remaining – the M’s are 15-14 against the rest of the West. They have three left with the A’s (in Seattle), four with the Angels (ditto) and the aforementioned series in Houston.

The Astros’ schedule is more A.L. West-centric, with 19 games against the division, including their last dozen – six at home (Texas and Seattle) and six on the road (Sacramento and Anaheim). The other seven? Four at home with the Angels and three up the road at Texas. Houston is 16-17 against the West.

The Astros also began a nine-game East Coast roadtrip last night with a 2-1, 10-inning loss in Boston. When they finally return home Aug. 11, maybe Crawford and the Mariners will have ridden last night’s momentum and have erased their current 3.5-game deficit.

One can only hope, an emotion that landed in M’s fans’ living rooms last night about the same time as Garcia’s fastball in T-Mobile’s rightfield seats.

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WSU: Loud voices can lead to energetic practices. That’s the theory, anyway. Seemingly a theory Jimmy Rogers agrees with. His Cougars were loud Friday and engaged enough to engage in some good old-fashioned scuffles. Greg Woods was in attendance and has this coverage of their third practice. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Washington is on the same schedule as the Cougars and had pretty much the same results. The Huskies worked on their red zone offense Friday. … Oregon State also held its third preseason practice. … Oregon needs some new receivers to step up. … It costs more to attend a Colorado football game than any other school in the nation. … Utah has figured out its starting quarterback. Now who will be No. 2? … The new world of college football is something Stanford and California must figure out. … UCLA figures a healthy big man will have a big impact. … USC coach Lincoln Riley is not happy with the NCAA. Who is? … Arizona State is expecting big things from an Alabama transfer. … Lightning forced Arizona inside yesterday. Ironically, the Wildcats hope the defense will be electrified this season. … Boise State has a couple standouts at key offensive positions. … San Diego State put a walk-on on scholarship. … Colorado State opened practice. … In basketball news, Arizona’s women will be taller up front soon. … Another fired Utah State athletic department employee is suing the school.

Gonzaga: Ben Gregg is no longer of Gonzaga. He’s now of the world. The world of professional basketball. Theo Lawson was in Las Vegas recently to document Gregg’s first steps into that journey and to talk with the longtime GU contributor about his next steps in life. … Former GU walk-on Rem Bakamus is leaving Tommy Lloyd’s Arizona staff and moving to Lubbock, Texas. It might be the right move for his career but it’s been my experience Tucson offers a bit more of a cosmopolitan vibe – and the win does not blow quite as often.

Idaho: Dan Cozzetto, a graduate of Gonzaga Prep, spent many seasons in Moscow, coaching the Vandal offense and helping Dennis Erickson build a winning football program. Cozzetto, who followed Erickson to many of his stops, died this week. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, from South Korea to Pocatello? Yes, at least for one walk-on kicker. … Sacramento State kicked off the Brennan Marion era yesterday. … Portland State held its first scrimmage. Both sides won. … In basketball news, former UW basketball player Jamaal Williams has rejoined the Portland State men’s staff.

Indians: Spokane had a chance this week during its homestand against Hillsboro to make up ground in the Northwest League second-half race. Instead, after Friday night’s 4-2 loss, the Indians have dropped three of four games. Dave Nichols has more in this game story.

Mariners: Of course we linked the game story above. And do it again here. … Cal Raleigh has an opportunity to help himself (and the M’s) in the MVP race over the next week or so, as Aaron Judge misses time with an injury. What must Raleigh (and the M’s) do to bolster the catcher’s case? … Trent Thornton is out for the rest of the year. Too bad Seattle did not add one more veteran relief pitcher. … Bryce Miller will be back soon.

Reign: The international break over, Seattle returned to the pitch and topped Angel City FC.

Seahawks: There was something intriguing when the Hawks picked Nick Emmanwori with their second pick of the recent NFL draft. The South Carolina defender didn’t really have a position, which some might have seen as a drawback. Mike Macdonald and his defensive staff? The saw the opportunity. Turns out, Emmanwori saw them too, and he is taking advantage of his opportunities thus far in camp. …The Russell Wilson trade story we linked yesterday in the Times? It is on the S-R web page today. … Micah Parsons wants out of Dallas. Could Seattle make a trade work? Sure. Bob Condotta explains how. …The rumors about ESPN buying The RedZone and The NFL Network seem to be true. If the self-proclaimed WorldWide Leader changes the RedZone one iota, it should be dropped from every cable system in America. And no one should ever again visit a Disney park.

Storm: There is no way a 108-106, double-overtime game cannot be exciting. Except, of course, if the home team loses, as Seattle did last night against the Los Angeles Sparks. OK, it was still exciting. But maybe not satisfying to those at Climate Pledge Arena. One little nugget about the game: Storm point guard Skyler Diggins, who is 10th in the WNBA, averaging 5.1 foul shots a game, did not get to the line once. And that ticked off Storm coach Noelle Quinn. “(Diggins) played 43 minutes and took zero free throws” she was quoted as saying in The Athletic story. “It’s ridiculous. Maybe I have to come up and rant and rave for us to get respect and consistency. That’s all I want. I’m not a coach that complains often. But I see what happens when people come up here and do it, so now I’m about to do it. Forty-three minutes and zero free throws is bullshit. Period.” The WNBA officiating leaves something to be desired. Every night.

Golf: Clarkston’s Joel Dahmen finally finished his second round of the Wyndham Championships this morning. He shot a three-under and is in second place, three strokes back at 12-under par. … Rory McIlroy is showing once again what a joke the FedEx playoffs are. He will not be playing next week and it doesn’t matter. He’s got a bye into the next round.

Swimming: Katie Ledecky is amazing. One of the great American athletes of the 21st Century. That’s an underwater hill I will always defend.

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• Have a great Saturday. Until next time …