LOS ANGELES -- In an oh-so-close alternate reality, the Mariners’ visit to Dodger Stadium this week would’ve represented a World Series rematch.
Seattle, after all, was just eight outs away from reaching that elusive Fall Classic last October, which would’ve opened right here at Chavez Ravine.
But with the way that 2026 has unfolded, that soul-sucking Game 7 loss in Toronto in the American League Championship Series feels like forever ago -- particularly in the maddening trajectory that the Mariners have been on for most of the summer.
But for at least one night -- in a blow-for-blow, 7-6 win over the two-time defending champs on Tuesday -- they looked much more like their 2025 selves.
“When you're playing a really good team, in a good environment, that focus level kind of gets you where we need to be,” said Cal Raleigh, who hit one of the Mariners’ season-high five homers.
This one went down to the wire, with Andrés Muñoz stranding Shohei Ohtani on third base with no outs as the tying run and Max Muncy on second base as the winning run with two outs.
That came after Ohtani ripped an RBI double to the wall that was coupled with an error from Victor Robles, which followed an infield single from Dalton Rushing that nicked J.P. Crawford’s glove to lead off the ninth.
Muncy drew a tense, nine-pitch walk then stole second base, putting this one in peril. But Muñoz then generated a game-winning groundout to Mookie Betts, while topping out at 103 mph and continuing a huge late-summer velocity spike.
His lockdown effort salvaged what might be the Mariners’ best win of the season from turning into what would’ve been their most demoralizing loss.
“This team has won the World Series twice,” said Muñoz, who averaged 101.6 mph on his four-seam fastball -- the highest in a single outing since 2022. “And we're playing good baseball against them. So that gives you the idea that we have a really good team.”
It was the Mariners’ first victory over the Dodgers since April 19, 2021, snapping a 12-game losing streak against the juggernauts. But their last win in this building? You’d have to go way back to June 28, 2009, with a lineup featuring Ken Griffey Jr., Adrian Beltré and Ichiro Suzuki.
Of their five homers on Tuesday, the headliners were two near-carbon-copy deep flies from emerging force Dominic Canzone.
The lefty-swinging slugger hit a go-ahead blast in the seventh inning off Alex Vesia, a two-run blast that traveled 414 feet to the right of straightaway center, and a game-tying solo shot off starter Justin Wrobleski in the sixth, 433 feet and deep into the batter’s eye.
Of note, both were left-on-left -- underscoring Canzone’s rapidly blossoming emergence as an everyday player, after being strictly platooned for most of his career.
“The hitting coaches here have helped me out tremendously,” Canzone said, “just moving my career on -- and being the player I am today. I definitely wouldn't be where I am without them.”
Canzone has almost single-handedly been carrying Seattle’s scuffling lineup out of the All-Star break, but especially on this 2-3 road trip. He also hit a three-run homer that proved to be the game-winner on Saturday in Arlington. Tuesday was just his fourth career multi-homer game and first since Opening Day.
More encouraging for the Mariners, however, were via the other three homers -- from players they desperately need to get going.
Those came from Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez, their star tandem, and veteran Rob Refsnyder, who was activated off the injured list earlier Tuesday after dealing with chronic knee pain throughout what’s been a trying debut season in Seattle. He also ripped a 112.3 mph leadoff double in the ninth, easily his hardest-hit ball of the season.
“I haven't really been proud of how I've competed or played,” Refsnyder said. “We've tried a bunch of things, but at the end of the day, I just haven't got the job done. Hopefully, turn the page. Like I said, I'm not trying to hit a home run every at-bat. My job is to have good at-bats for the team.”
For Raleigh and Rodríguez, Tuesday marked just the second time this season that they went yard in the same game -- and first since an April 11 win over Houston. Last year, Raleigh and Rodríguez homered in the same game 14 times, including twice in the postseason.
By no means is everything fixed, Raleigh said, but it was as encouraging of a victory that they’ve had all month.