It couldn’t be so easy. A script so simplistic as Julio Rodríguez launching the go-ahead homer in the bottom of the 8th off infamous sticky stuff enthusiast James Karinchak would have been poetry in motion, just innings after the 21-year-old wunderkind had had his possibly-career-long contract extension announced midgame ahead of a plate appearance. The tension was palpable from home, with a sellout crowd revving JU-LI-O on. Alas, Karinchak scampered up the ladder like a rat off a sinking ship, sending the Seattle Mariners back on the defensive without a lead for at least two more frames.
Possible playoff preview, definite playoff atmosphere, perfect playoff outcome as M’s walk off win 3-2
