Lawrence Butler’s walk-off two-run homer caps Athletics comeback in 8-7 win over Mariners

Seattle took the middle innings, but never quite buried the game

The Athletics announced themselves early with pure damage. Zack Gelof opened the scoring with a first-inning homer to left, and Butler followed with one to right-center, a quick 2-0 lead built on two swings against Bryce Miller. What changed after that was not Seattle’s ability to reach base, but its ability to turn those baserunners into a real counterpunch. In the third, Jhonny Pereda reached the plate on Arozarena’s game-tying homer to left, and the Mariners had reset everything at 2-2.

The fourth inning looked like the part of the afternoon that should have held up. Pereda’s sacrifice fly brought home Josh Naylor for a 3-2 edge. J.P. Crawford then beat out an infield single to the pitcher to score Michael Arroyo, and Arozarena added another run with a single to center that scored Weston Wilson. When Pereda drew an RBI walk in the fifth to force in Cal Raleigh, Seattle was up 6-2 and had scored in three straight innings without needing another home run.

That stretch also revealed the tension that would define the result. The Mariners collected 12 hits, drew six walks and still left 18 runners on base. They did plenty of work against Jacob Lopez, who needed 102 pitches to get through 3 2/3 innings, yet the lead never grew beyond four runs. Pereda’s 2-for-2 line and Arozarena’s four RBIs were major reasons Seattle got in front, and Arroyo’s three walks kept extra innings alive for the lineup. But a game full of traffic asks for a finishing touch, and Seattle never really found one after the fifth.

The seventh inning flipped the script, and Butler wrote the ending

The comeback began with accumulation rather than fireworks. In the seventh, the Athletics loaded up enough pressure that Gelof could walk in a run, with Alika Williams scoring while Jeff McNeil moved to second and Henry Bolte to third. Seattle challenged the call, but it stood. Butler then grounded out to second, trimming the deficit to 6-4, and Shea Langeliers followed with the cleanest blow of that rally, a single to right that scored both McNeil and Gelof. In a few minutes, Seattle’s four-run cushion had disappeared.

Arozarena tried to seize the story back in the eighth. His second homer of the day, a 375-foot shot to left, restored a 7-6 Mariners lead and gave him one of the best individual offensive games Seattle could ask for: three hits, two home runs and four RBIs. Yet the Athletics had the last turn, and they made it count. Gelof reached again, and Butler ended it in the ninth with a two-run homer to right-center. Seattle finished one swing short despite leading after eight innings.

The stars on the home side were impossible to miss. Butler went 2-for-4 and both hits left the yard, accounting for four RBIs. Gelof scored three times, homered, walked twice and was on base for the decisive blast. Langeliers only logged one official at-bat, but his two-run single in the seventh was the hit that erased the deficit. The Athletics only had nine hits overall; they simply made several of them land in the biggest spots.

Our take: Seattle’s missed chances mattered, but the Athletics earned the last word

Seattle will look at this as a game its offense should have locked down earlier. Twelve hits, six walks and two Arozarena home runs ought to be enough most days, especially after building a 6-2 lead. The problem is written plainly in the box score: 18 runners left on base and only one run after the fifth. That left space for the Athletics to keep the game within one swing, and a staff line of six walks, two hit batters and three home runs allowed only widened that opening.

The relief innings are where the result turned from manageable to costly for the Mariners. After Miller limited the Athletics to two hits over five innings, even with five walks and the two first-inning homers, Seattle still carried the lead into the late game. But the bullpen gave back six runs across the final three innings it covered. The seventh-inning rally came through a walk, a groundout and Langeliers’ single; the ninth ended on Butler’s home run. If Seattle wants a cleaner finish next time, the evidence points to sharper run prevention in leverage spots and more conversion of the baserunners it already created.

For the Athletics, the comeback is worth celebrating, but it was not a flawless formula. Their lineup squeezed eight runs from nine hits by pairing power with patience: three homers, six walks and two hit batters. That is a strong way to survive a day when the opponent gets 18 baserunners of its own. Still, the early pitching line should not be ignored. Lopez gave up five runs in 3 2/3 innings, and the staff as a whole threw 196 pitches while allowing 12 hits and six walks. The late answer was excellent; the cleaner version of this team probably starts by needing less rescue in the first place. On this afternoon, though, the final judgment was simple enough: Arozarena was brilliant, Butler was decisive, and decisive wins.

Scoring moments

1. 1st Inning

   Gelof homered to left (405 feet).

2. 1st Inning

   Butler homered to right center (405 feet).

3. 3rd Inning

   Arozarena homered to left, Pereda scored.

4. 4th Inning

   Pereda hit sacrifice fly to left, Naylor scored, Arroyo to third.

5. 4th Inning

   Crawford reached on infield single to pitcher, Arroyo scored, We. Wilson to second.

6. 4th Inning

   Arozarena singled to center, We. Wilson scored, Crawford to second.

7. 5th Inning

   Pereda walked, Raleigh scored, Arroyo to second, Naylor to third.

8. 7th Inning

   Gelof walked, Williams scored, McNeil to second, Bolte to third. Seattle Mariners challenged: call on the field was upheld.

9. 7th Inning

   Butler grounded out to second, Bolte scored, Gelof to second, McNeil to third.

10. 7th Inning

    Langeliers singled to right, McNeil scored and Gelof scored.

11. 8th Inning

    Arozarena homered to left (375 feet).

12. 9th Inning

    Butler homered to right center (402 feet), Gelof scored.