'Just got to keep fighting': Mariners walk off in extras thanks to Rivas

SEATTLE -- It featured despair, but never doubt.

In front of their largest home crowd of the year, and within a stage of the season that’s reaching crunch time, the Mariners eked out one of their most thrilling victories of 2026 -- a 6-5 walk-off win over the Cubs in the 10th inning on Friday night.

And the hero of the night was maybe the roster’s least likely -- who, just three days earlier, was pitching as a position player in the club’s 22-0 drubbing in Milwaukee.

Leo Rivas, who entered as a pinch-runner for designated hitter Taylor Ward in the bottom of the eighth, stayed in to face right-handed reliever Ryan Zeferjahn and proceeded to punch an 0-1 sweeper into shallow center field for an RBI single.

That came with two outs, and it scored automatic runner Randy Arozarena, who advanced to third base on a sacrifice bunt from Victor Robles, who himself also came off the bench as a defensive replacement the inning prior.

“You’ve just got to keep fighting, especially at this time of year,” said Cal Raleigh, who crushed a three-run, game-tying homer in the second inning. “You don't have time to feel bad for yourself. We’ve still got a great chance to win that game.”

Indeed, Rivas’ heroics came an inning after Andrés Muñoz surrendered a game-tying solo homer to longtime nemesis Alex Bregman, on a slider that caught too much plate in an 0-2 count with one out in the ninth.

Raleigh absorbed blame for that one, opting for the breaking ball to Bregman after Muñoz was on the cusp of a punchout after firing two fastballs -- at 101.6 mph and 101.4 mph -- to begin the at-bat.

It had an all-too-familiar feeling of Game 1 of the 2022 American League Division Series, when Bregman launched a 2-1 slider off Muñoz for a two-run homer in the eighth inning, paving the way for Yordan Alvarez to eventually walk it off against Robbie Ray in the ninth.

“Overall, I just just need to do a better job next time of seeing it, seeing what the game is presenting and making sure that we're trying to throw the best pitch possible for the pitchers,” Raleigh said. “But also, it's kind of those 50/50 ones -- tip the hat, kind of, but also next time, maybe throw something different in there.”

Rivas’ walk-off ensured that the rest of Raleigh’s efforts behind the plate weren’t for naught, as the backstop ignited a huge ABS challenge in the eighth that helped Eduard Bazardo strand the bases loaded with an inning-ending strikeout to Seiya Suzuki.

Instead of 3-0, the count flipped to 2-1 -- and it came immediately after Raleigh lost a challenge on the pitch prior, one that was in nearly the exact same spot, low-and-away on the outer half.

“It's do-or-die time,” Raleigh said, “so I think it's just really important to know where you're at in the game, and obviously we were lucky enough to still have two, which I think was huge there in that spot.”

But it was his huge homer that might’ve had the biggest impact, at least given how the night started for Emerson Hancock -- and for an offense that’s starting to find more consistency.

Raleigh ambushed a first-pitch, 92.9 mph fastball from Seattle-area native Matthew Boyd near the top rail and sent it 410 feet to the pull side while batting right-handed. It was precisely the type of pitch that he’s been susceptible to for most of the season, but also among those that he pummeled regularly during his 60-homer season in 2025.

“I've just been a tick under,” Raleigh said, “and I was able to stay level with that one, get on top of it -- however you want to say it. I think the results haven't been there, but I feel like I've been seeing the ball well. I've been putting good swings on balls.”

The timing was just as key, as it came shortly after Hancock surrendered a pair of homers -- to Bregman and NL MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong -- over a 30-pitch first inning. But Hancock went scoreless the rest of the way, and came one out shy of clearing the sixth.

“He pitched with his heart tonight, and he overcame a lot,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said.

With both Texas and Houston victorious earlier on Friday, Seattle (61-68) needed to win in order to keep pace in the American League West -- as they remain four games back of first place with 33 to play.