Yankees stunned the Mariners with a comeback victory:
NEW YORK — At Yankee Stadium, the New York Yankees defeated the Seattle Mariners 6-5 in extra innings to record one of their most exciting victories of the season. However, strategy, not luck, was the key to the win. The Yankees capitalized on Mariners All-Star reliever Andrés Muñoz’s pitch-tipping to support their incredible comeback.
The Mariners Gained Command Seattle appeared to be on track for a shutout victory early on. Bryan Woo took charge on the mound, completely neutralizing the Yankees’ bats and holding them without a hit through seven dominant innings. The Mariners led 5-0, and everything was going their way — until the Yankees finally found a crack in their armor.
The Yankees Adapted to Pitch Tipping
In the bottom of the ninth inning, with the Mariners leading 5-3, Seattle brought in one of Major League Baseball’s top closers, Muñoz. The Yankees, however, had done their research. According to team insiders, Muñoz was unintentionally revealing his slider through subtle cues.
Players on base signaled the hitter after noticing a tell in his action. According to reports, Trent Grisham, the runner on second base, signaled the approach of a slider with a circular arm motion. Cody Bellinger, the first runner, also seemed to send signals, indicating that several players were aware of the scheme.
Timely Hits Cause a Rally That Ends the Game
Ben Rice drew a walk after laying off a slider outside the zone, demonstrating outstanding discipline at the plate. Grisham and Bellinger were scored to tie the game at five runs each after Austin Wells hit a fastball into the outfield for a two-run single.
Cal Raleigh, a catcher with the Mariners, took notice.
Raleigh commented, “He was giving it away every time with a runner on second.” He added that the Yankees weren’t exactly subtle about it. “It’s part of baseball — recognizing stuff like that is on us. We should’ve picked up on it before the series even started.” That made the end incredibly difficult.
Dan Wilson, the manager, disagrees
Mariners manager Dan Wilson had a different viewpoint in spite of Raleigh’s remarks. Pitch tipping, in his opinion, was not the true cause of the blown lead.
Wilson stated, “I believe we simply put ourselves in some difficult situations and they were able to exploit us.”
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Whatever the reason, the Yankees took advantage of the situation. Muñoz had the lowest opponent batting average (.128) and an outstanding.390 OPS against before this game. However, those statistics didn’t match up this evening.
Aaron Boone Praises Team’s Approach
Yankees manager Aaron Boone acknowledged Muñoz’s skill but praised his players for staying disciplined.
“”Muñoz earned his All-Star spot — no doubt about it,” Boone said. “He’s among the elite closers in the league. Still, we felt confident our left-handed hitters could battle him well, and they absolutely stepped up.”
Yankees Finish the Job in Extras
The Yankees capped off their late-game surge in the 10th inning after tying things up in the ninth. Aaron Judge lofted a deep fly ball, giving Anthony Volpe the chance to dash home and pull off a smooth evasive slide at the plate, locking in a thrilling walk-off win.
Muñoz, meanwhile, declined postgame interviews.
A Victory for the Records of History
The Yankees overcame a five-run deficit for the first time since 2023 and won four in a row with this comeback. They are only the second club in the Expansion Era (since 1961), according to MLB statistics, to win a game after going hitless and falling behind by five or more runs after seven innings, with the first being the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1977.
It was one of the season’s most thrilling victories, according to Austin Wells, who hit the game-winning hit.