Mariners, J.P. Crawford celebrate Father’s Day in grand fashion, sweep Guardians

SEATTLE – On his first Father’s Day as a dad, J.P. Crawford marked the holiday in one of the grandest ways possible.

With his wife Kathy and baby daughter Korra watching from the stands, the Mariners hot-hitting shortstop clubbed a grand slam deep into the right field stands off Cleveland starter Luis Ortiz on Sunday, giving the Mariners a commanding five-run lead in the second inning of an eventual 6-0 victory that clinched a three-game sweep over the Guardians.

With Korra’s name etched onto his blue bat, Crawford sent a 1-2 slider at the bottom of the zone 337 feet into the right field stands. After impact, he pointed his bat skyward in a triumphant celebration of his display of that innate fatherly quality known as Dad Strength.

“It’s something I’ll never forget,” Crawford said. “I always look at them when I’m on deck. It just gives me such peace of mind, you know, just seeing them.”

After losing eight of their past nine coming into the series, and going just 1-5 on a miserable six-game road trip, Crawford’s grand slam was the booming stamp on a winning weekend the Mariners desperately needed.

It was Crawford’s fifth career grand slam, with his previous big fly coming on June 1, 2024, against the Los Angeles Angels. After his breakout 2023 season, Crawford’s production tanked in an injury-plagued 2024. But through the first 70 games, Crawford has once again been one of Seattle’s best hitters this season.

While a lot of his production has come on balls hit the other way, Crawford showed some big-time power to the pull side on Sunday.

“We’ve just seen so many good at-bats from J.P., and (he was) able to get a change-up and be able to get something out front,” manager Dan Wilson said. “He’s been using left field a lot, but it allows you, when you get that breaking ball in the zone, you’re able to get out in front of it a little bit and pull it, and that’s the one he got. Just a great at-bat to put us up there.”

Randy Arozarena led off that five-run second inning with a walk and then made third on a Rowdy Tellez double down the left field line. Dominic Canzone walked to load the bases with one out after a Mitch Garver strikeout, and Miles Mastrobuoni made it a 1-0 game with a bloop single to right field.

Four pitches later, Crawford took advantage of an 85-mph slider over the plate for his sixth home run of the season, and kept his scorching hot streak at the plate alive.

In his past 14 games, Crawford is hitting .434 with five doubles, two homers, nine RBI, and 12 walks. His 46 walks this season are the sixth-most in MLB and his .411 OBP is tied for fourth in baseball and second in the American League behind Aaron Judge.

In a season where he’s put up such big numbers, Crawford sees his success as coming from not trying to do some much, and being willing to hit the ball the other way.

“I think I’m not trying to, you know, launch every at-bat,” Crawford said. “I’m just trying to get on base for Julio, Cal, or whoever to hit me in, and it’s been paying out.”

While Crawford stole the show with his moonshot homer, Emerson Hancock shined with one of the best games of his young career. Hancock allowed just two hits and one walk on 85 pitches over seven shutout innings with four strikeouts, marking his fourth consecutive start where he has allowed two or fewer runs while going five or more innings.

The 26-year old Hancock has been a source of consistency for the Mariners in a roller-coaster season for the rotation, as Logan Gilbert, Bryce Miller and George Kirby have all missed time due to injury.

While he spent part of the season in the minor leagues after allowing seven hits and six earned runs in two-thirds of an inning against Detroit on March 31, he has been one of the Mariners most reliable arms since getting called back up in mid-April.

“With the injuries that we’ve had to starters and the role he has played, he has stepped right up,” Wilson said. “Giving us seven today was huge, it was just flat out huge. We’ve talked a lot about it, he’s got good stuff. He’s got the 95-plus (fastball) with the sink to it, he’s got a four-seamer, he’s got the changeup and slider. But it’s more his approach mentally, where he goes.

“He just was out there attacking, and it was a special outing for him today.”

Hancock has pitched at least five innings in 10 of his past 11 starts, and has allowed three runs or fewer in 10 of his 12 starts this season. His seven-inning performance Sunday matched a career-high and gave the Mariners their fourth sweep of the season.

“It was a huge game going into it because you’ve got a sweep on the line, you don’t get a chance to do that very often,” Hancock said. “I wanted to do that for our guys and I wanted to go out there and give everything I could. We were able to do that today. Guys made great swings, guys played great defense, and we got the shutout.”

Casey Legumina pitched a scoreless eighth inning for Seattle, and Eduard Bazardo finished things off with a scoreless ninth.

Mitch Garver added a run in the fifth for the Mariners with an RBI double to left-center that scored Arozarena, who walked three times in the game, scored two runs, stole two bases, and reached on a hit-by-pitch. Seattle drew five walks against Ortiz, who allowed six runs and five hits over six innings.

There were plenty of big contributors for the Mariners on Sunday, but after a big-time homer with his wife and baby in the stands, it was Crawford who likely walked away from the ballpark with the biggest smile.

“It’s the best day ever,” Crawford said. “People always say it’s different with being your first one, but I finally get it now, and I’m just so thankful, for sure.”