“Dominate the zone.”
“Doesn’t matter, get higher.”
“Enjoyable differential.”
“Chaos ball.”
“Burn the boats.”
The Mariners love their little sayings. Some have been round for years, some have simply been uttered, some are corny, some are met with eye rolls, and others are believed and regurgitated.
A not-so-new saying has emerged on this postseason-deciding sequence in opposition to the Texas Rangers, courtesy of John Paul Crawford — the Mariners should-be “captain.”
“Let’s [expletive] go!”
Following his walk-off heroics Thursday night, Crawford wrapped up his postgame interview with ROOT Sports activities screaming these three little phrases into the dwell microphone. It echoed all through T-Cell Park, drawing an explosion of cheers. The video clip went viral on social media.
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High three wild-card groups make playoffs
It isn’t a brand new saying. However it’s his for the second.
So on Friday night time, as his vicious line drive to proper subject off Rangers lefty Brock Burke landed right into a mass of humanity for a grand slam, Crawford, his teammates and a sold-out crowd of 45,274 of his “closest associates” have been screaming that saying time and again as he rounded the bases. No one was begging any pardons for the language. The saying is the saying.
Crawford’s second grand slam of the season punctuated a five-run fourth inning and turned an ultra-tense sport that needed to be received into a snug 8-0 rout over the Rangers.
“It’s simply ‘Let’s go!’ There’s nothing extra to it,” Crawford stated sheepishly, not eager to curse on digicam. “There’s nothing to left to carry, simply unleash the tank and care for enterprise.”
The unedited model is extra enjoyable. Did his spouse or mom get mad at him concerning the profanity?
“Surprisingly, they didn’t,” he stated with a chuckle.
Given what he’s accomplished for the Mariners this season, a stalwart on the high of the lineup and within the subject whereas being a pacesetter within the clubhouse, he can say no matter he desires.
“He has been so good in these conditions all yr lengthy,” supervisor Scott Servais stated. “However you’ve acquired to make the pitcher come to you. You don’t chase, you don’t get too amped up, eager to be the hero. Simply let the sport come to you. And the final two nights, he’s been the hero.”
Throughout a four-game sequence wherein they should win at the very least three of 4 to have a practical probability to return to the postseason, the Mariners have taken the primary two video games.
Regardless of the victory, the Mariners (87-73) failed to realize floor on the Astros (87-72), who held on for a 2-1 win over the Diamondbacks. Seattle stays a sport again of the Houston for the third American League wild-card spot. The Blue Jays (89-71) stayed within the second wild-card spot, a sport forward of Houston, with a simple win over the Rays, who have been resting gamers. In the meantime, the Rangers (89-71) sit only one sport forward of Houston and two forward of Seattle within the AL West.
“We nonetheless want slightly assist, however now we have the chance to care for ourselves right here,” Servais stated. “We’ve acquired to only give attention to tomorrow and proceed to have actually good at-bats up and down that lineup. That’s what occurred tonight. After which we acquired a few hits with runners in scoring place tonight, and that does assist.”
The Mariners maintain the tiebreaker over the Astros. The Rangers maintain the tiebreaker over the Mariners. The Astros maintain the tiebreaker over the Rangers. If all three groups end with the identical report, the Mariners could be the AL West champions due to tiebreaker guidelines.
On an evening rookie Bryan Woo was beginning for the third time in opposition to a crew that dismantled him in two earlier conferences and was engaged on an ultrashort leash, the Mariners knew they needed to rating runs to prevail.
It’s not one thing they’ve been nice at for a lot of the season.
However after scoring 5 runs in 5 innings off Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi final Saturday in Texas, there was a degree of confidence coming into the sport.
Ty France put the Mariners on the board, pulling a 1-1 fastball into the second degree of Edgar’s Cantina for a solo homer.
“As quickly as Ty hit the house run tonight, the place exploded,” Servais stated.
Two batters later, Josh Rojas took benefit of a 1-0 fastball in the identical joyful zone for a hitter — belt-high, inside half of the plate — sending a towering fly ball into the right-field seats for an additional solo homer. The Mariners weren’t completed. Crawford labored a stroll and scored from first when Eugenio Suarez despatched a line drive over the top of Rangers middle fielder Leody Taveras.
The three-0 lead turned to 8-0 an inning later.
The Mariners loaded the bases on a leadoff single from Teoscar Hernandez, a stroll from Mike Ford and fastball off France’s elbow.
Bases loaded, no outs? What might presumably go unsuitable?
Eovaldi struck out Jarred Kelenic, however Rojas, who had popped up with the bases loaded for the second out within the ninth Thursday, punched a single up the center to attain Hernandez and make it 4-0 with Crawford coming to the plate.
“He threw a bunch of splitters, and I fortunately stayed on it and despatched it up the center,” Rojas stated.
It ended Eovaldi’s outing.
However extra runs could be charged to him fairly shortly.
The Rangers introduced in lefty Brock Burke to face Crawford. He labored the depend to 3-1, refusing to chase any of the pitches up within the zone. Burke put a 3-1 fastball down the center that Crawford turned with a brief, vicious swing that was refined at Driveline Baseball in Kent over the offseason. His nineteenth homer of the season turned T-Cell Park into curse-word screaming chaos.
In 17 plate appearances with the bases loaded, Crawford has 11 hits in 16 at-bats for a .688 batting common with three doubles, two homers, a sacrifice fly, two strikeouts and 26 RBI.
“It’s simply not giving an at-bat away,” he stated. “Anytime there’s an opportunity to do injury or simply an opportunity to kill that pulse slightly bit for the opposite crew, you’ve acquired to benefit from that.”
Crawford obtained a standing ovation after hoisting the trident in entrance of the dugout.
The eight runs have been greater than sufficient with the Rangers waving the white flag and pulling regulars from the sport within the sixth inning.
The Mariners acquired 3 2/3 scoreless innings from Woo, who walked the tight rope between success and implosion, permitting a number of base runners within the first three innings. The rookie right-hander made sufficient pitches to wiggle out of every jam, throwing 82 pitches.
“He was decided to not give in,” Servais stated. “He was going to dwell on the sides, and he wasn’t going to be on the market lengthy.”
The hopeful plan was for Woo, who was making what he admitted was the largest begin of his younger profession, to attempt to get via the lineup twice earlier than turning it over to the bullpen. Pitching coach Pete Woodworth stored the plan easy.
“Woody informed me earlier than the sport that it doesn’t matter in case you throw 100 pitches in 4 innings, simply go get outs,” Woo stated. “I most likely didn’t must take that actually.”
Although Servais anticipated to make use of a number of relievers, he didn’t count on to carry the Rangers scoreless with out utilizing any of his leverage relievers. Tayler Saucedo, Trent Thornton, Isaiah Campbell, Eduard Bazardo and Dominic Leone closed out the win.
It was the Mariners’ seventeenth shutout this season — essentially the most in MLB.
CORRECTION: This story has been up to date to mirror that the Mariners’ report is 87-73, not 87-33 as initially reported.
Ryan Divish:
rdivish@seattletimes.com; on Twitter: @RyanDivish. Ryan Divish covers the Mariners in Seattle and on the street. Search for his ‘Additional Innings’ podcast and mailbags in the course of the season.
