SEATTLE -- It was a toss-up which was better, the over-the-wall catch by Kyle Lewis or the exuberant reaction by the Mariners' rookie center fielder.

Lewis went high to rob Oakland¡¯s Ramón Laureano of a grand slam in the first inning of the Mariners' 9-0 loss in Game 2 of Seattle¡¯s doubleheader on Monday, then unleashed a celebratory sideways skip across the outfield with an ear-to-ear grin that shone through the smoky outfield at T-Mobile Park.

Seattle is dealing with heavy smoke from the West Coast wildfires, even with the roof closed, as it played both games of a makeup doubleheader against the A¡¯s.

The play brought back memories of Ken Griffey Jr., who stole his share of home runs playing center field for the Mariners and unleashed a similar joyous reaction after robbing Jesse Barfield of the Yankees in a 1990 game in the Bronx.

¡°That¡¯s a humbling comparison,¡± Lewis said. ¡°A center fielder being able to make plays is in of itself a great moment. To be able to make plays is something I take pride in, especially wearing that Seattle uniform, because we know who the legend is out there. So to go out there and make plays is big for me.

¡°Hopefully I can just continue to build on that defensively, to be a solid, reliable defender, and then as well at the plate, because that guy did it all. It¡¯s cool to see those comparisons. I take them in stride and try to keep it going so I can continue to write my story. Everybody has their own story to write, and I¡¯ve got mine.¡±

The 25-year-old Lewis, a leading candidate for American League Rookie of the Year honors this season, had already delivered a two-run home run -- his 10th of the season -- and then a go-ahead bases-loaded walk in a 6-5 comeback victory in Game 1.

Lewis then flashed his glove with the spectacular catch to help get spot starter Jimmy Yacabonis out of a bases-loaded jam for a young Mariners team that is trying to catch Houston for the second playoff spot in the AL West. Though Seattle wound up losing the second game, it didn¡¯t take away from the club's young center fielder¡¯s efforts.

¡°When you have that type of talent and it¡¯s playing out on the big stage, it¡¯s awesome to see,¡± Mariners manager Scott Servais said. ¡°I¡¯m excited to continue to watch him grow over the next few years.¡±

After getting off to a scorching start at the plate this year, Lewis has seen his numbers drop a bit as he went just 6-for-46 with two homers over his previous 14 games. But the 2016 first-round Draft choice went 2-for-5 with a home run, a double and two walks in the doubleheader, and he is hitting .295/.390/.494 with 10 homers and 27 RBIs on the year.

¡°Kyle¡¯s at-bats have continued to be really good, just not a whole lot of luck lately,¡± Servais said. ¡°You need a little luck in this game once in a while, and it comes in streaks. He hit the ball good today. He¡¯s having a great season. He should be Rookie of the Year. We have some work yet to do, but he¡¯s been phenomenal all season long.¡±