Mariners revel in rally: 'It's a beautiful thing'

They were on their way to being no-hit. They had two critical defensive miscues that seemingly all but sealed the deal for Boston. The bullpen’s scoreless-inning streak snapped. And yet the Mariners -- as they’ve done throughout this young season -- found a way to scratch out a scrappy win.

Sam Haggerty’s 10th-inning double that scored lead runner Evan White was only Seattle’s second hit of the game, and it pushed the club into a late lead. Then, after J.P. Crawford walked, Mitch Haniger crushed a three-run homer to stun the Red Sox in a 7-3 comeback win to open an eight-game road trip.

? Box score

The Mariners had more than twice as many runs as their three hits -- just the eighth time since 1901 that a team has scored at least seven runs on three or fewer hits.

“It doesn't matter how many hits you have on the board, especially once you get the starter out if he's been dealing and guys haven't had good at-bats on him,” Haniger said. “You feel like it's your time to strike. So yeah, it's definitely been the mentality of just keep fighting.”

Even for a club that has had its share of comebacks -- a five-run rally on Opening Day and a comeback down 6-0 in Minnesota two weeks ago -- Thursday's was arguably the most improbable and impressive.

Boston starter Nick Pivetta had the Mariners on no-hitter watch into the sixth inning, at which point the Red Sox had an 86.2% win probability, according to FanGraphs. While there was still much baseball left, the way Seattle’s bats had been going, there seemed to be extra credibility in that projection.

Then consider that wind chills were in the mid-30s, and Haggerty -- who was just 4-for-26 entering the game -- somehow manufactured enough adrenaline and composure to stay hot despite entering the game in the eighth as a pinch-runner, and that he was able to dig out a two-strike slider at the bottom of the zone for the go-ahead hit in the 10th.

When he came off the bench to run for Luis Torrens, Haggerty stole second base against Boston reliever Adam Ottavino, then he scored to tie the game at 3-3 when Ottavino sailed a forceout attempt to get Haggerty at third on a sacrifice bunt from Crawford. In the minds of his manager and teammates, that play was just as critical.

“Player of the game for me,” Haniger said of Haggerty. “I mean, big time to come in the game when it's freezing like that and to swipe a bag and then come up and drive in the winning run. I mean, that was unbelievable.”

Ty France also played just as much of a catalyst by breaking up the no-hitter with two outs in the sixth. On a night where many outside pitches to righties were called balls, France fell into a 2-2 count instead of going 3-1 on a slider that was well off the plate, but he rebounded and put Seattle in business with a game-tying hit that sailed over left fielder Franchy Cordero’s head.

France was back in the lineup following a one-game absence with a sore right forearm after being hit by a 98.4 mph pitch from the Dodgers’ Dustin May on Monday. He continued his incredibly clutch hitting, elevating his batting average with runners in scoring position to .427 since the start of 2019.

? France back, ready to go 1-2 with Haniger

Highest OPS with RISP entering Thursday, 2019-pres.
1. Mike Trout: 1.176
2. Ty France: 1.154*
3. Bryce Harper: 1.117
4. Fernando Tatis Jr.: 1.115
5. Freddie Freeman: 1.112
*France went 1-for-2 with RISP on Thursday

“Any time that guy steps to the plate, you’re just ready for a loud noise,” Haniger said of France.

The bullpen’s scoreless streak ended at 20 2/3 innings, and it initially looked like it would have looming implications on the game’s final result. But the relief corps overcame that blemish and allowed just two hits over the final five innings.

Kendall Graveman extended his scoreless streak to 14 innings dating back to 2020 by throwing a 1-2-3 eighth inning. It included unique strikeouts to Marwin Gonzalez, who was hit on his right knee against a slider despite swinging for strike three, and former Mississippi State University teammate Hunter Renfroe, who he jammed with a running sinker that nearly touched 100 mph and earned a nod from @PitchingNinja on Twitter.

“If we can give our lineup a chance to get hot and get going and then get a lead and turn it over to the big heavies, as we call them, we have a pretty good chance to get away with a win,” said starter Justin Dunn, who threw five innings and gave up two runs. “And so, it's a beautiful thing to watch them do what they're doing.”