Yandy Diaz belts first career walk-off - Rays 7, Mariners 5

Yandy Diaz hit his first career walkoff homerun this evening, and Tampa Bay’s fifth this season, muscling an opposite field line drive up and over the wall, in a well fought battle against the very good Seattle Mariners in what felt like a playoff warm up for the Rays.

Let’s start with the best part of the night.

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Diaz, the Rays best hitter this season, was on the bench to start this game and his absence for most of the night resulted in an even match up between the Rays and Mariners, and it wasn’t until his dramatic pinch hitting late in the game that Tampa Bay pulled away, illustrating his importance to the Rays success in my mind.

His walkoff was…