SEATTLE — A slider off the seam of Jake Bauers’ pant leg put the potential winning run on base and the possible game-winning double — a line drive down the right field line — landed foul by just inches, changing, transforming the screams of the hopeful Mariners fans in the crowd of 17,860 into crestfallen groans.
Instead of a walk-off victory in the ninth inning and a story of success for Jarred Kelenic, who has gone from the hitting messiah to a prospect pariah on social media, in an up-and-down debut season, the young rookie struck out on an unexpected changeup from Adam Ottavino — only the second one he’s thrown in more than 1,000 pitches this season — to end the ninth inning.
And those inches that separated the Mariners from a victory celebration and having to play extra innings were as close as they came to beating the Red Sox in Wednesday afternoon’s 9-4 loss.
A 10th-inning implosion that started with a bloop single to left, a passed ball allowing the go-ahead run to score, a walk and another bloop single without an out being recorded snowballed into a six-run burst by Boston, turned a 3-3 game into a crushing loss that may have also crushed Seattle’s postseason hopes.
The Mariners fell to 78-68 and sit four games back of the Red Sox (83-65) and Blue Jays (82-64) for the second wild card spot with 16 games remaining on the season. The Yankees also sit a half-game ahead of them.
With Drew Steckenrider unavailable because of usage and Casey Sadler, Paul Sewald and Diego Castillo used to get to the ninth, Servais turned to right-hander Erik Swanson in the 10th. He never recorded an out and was charged with four runs (three earned) on two hits. Justus Sheffield and Yohan Ramirez also pitched with minimal success in the inning.
With everything seemingly poised to fall apart, sending the Mariners to an expected defeat in the early innings. Gonzales, one of the few Mariners to experience the pressures of performing in the postseason, simply wouldn’t allow it to happen.
After allowing a solo homer to Hunter Renfroe in the first inning, the Red Sox pushed the lead to 3-0 in the second. Gonzales issued a one-out walk to Kyle Schwarber that left him irritated. But he appeared to have the second out when Bobby Dalbec hit a towering fly ball to deep left-center. However, left fielder Jake Fraley took an odd angle to the ball, then lost track of it in the afternoon sky when he looked for the wall before making an awkward diving attempt for a catch that he wasn’t close to making. The sure out instead bounced off the track and into the stands for a double. The Red Sox pushed a run across on a slow ground ball to third and Jose Iglesias hit a double to left-center giving a Boston a three-run lead.
It was the second straight game where a play on a catchable ball in the outfield wasn’t made leading to runs.
But if there were any thoughts that Gonzales might let the game get out of reach, he quelled that notion immediately in the third inning, striking out Renfroe, Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers in order. It was the start of four straight scoreless innings where Gonzales didn’t allow a hit, walking one runner and striking out seven.
On his 110th pitch of the day, Gonzales struck out Martinez swinging
He finished with six innings pitched, three runs allowed on three hits with two walks and seven strikeouts.
His teammates also answered with some immediate run support in the bottom of the third against Red Sox starter Tanner Houck.
A leadoff single from Jarred Kelenic followed by a single to right field for Tom Murphy resulted in a run. Kelenic tested the strong, but not always accurate throwing arm of Renfroe in right field by going first to third. The ball ended up in the camera well by the dugout, allowing Kelenic to score.
Later with two outs and runners on second and third, Kyle Seager punched a double down the third baseline to tie the game at 3-3.
Coming into the plate appearance, Seager had just one hit — a swinging bunt — in 21 plate appearances on the homestand.
