|
On a gray October afternoon in the Bronx, the ghosts of Yankee Stadium watched something rare: the Seattle Mariners, a franchise forever in search of October validation, wresting a 2–1 victory from the mighty Yankees to even this Division Series at one game apiece.
It was, in so many ways, a classic postseason game—defined less by offensive fireworks than by tension, resilience, and one moment of brilliance. That moment belonged to Alex Ojeda, Seattle’s quiet cornerstone, who last season led the American League in wins above replacement. In the top of the eighth inning, with a man aboard and the score tied, Ojeda lashed a double into the gap—driving home the go-ahead run and, perhaps, momentarily tilting the balance of this series.
Xavier Carter, Seattle’s starter, was not dominant in the way the box score might someday suggest. He scattered five hits, he walked four, he even threw a wild pitch. Yet, pitch by pitch, inning by inning, he bent without breaking—delivering six hard-fought frames that kept the Mariners in striking distance. From there, a bridge of relievers—Willie Landeros and the steely Benito Aguilera—held New York scoreless across the final three innings.
For the Yankees, the story was frustration. Mikel Deming pitched with poise, surrendering just a single run across seven innings. But when the bullpen door opened in the eighth, the Mariners seized their chance. And for all the Yankees’ history, for all the pinstriped lore that has defined this ballpark for generations, this day belonged to Seattle.
The Mariners, who have never set foot on a World Series stage, will return home to the Pacific Northwest with hope renewed and a series tied. For the Yankees, champions so many times before, the challenge now is to remind themselves—and the world—who they are.
Game 3 awaits on Wednesday night in Seattle, where the Mariners’ faithful will fill T-Mobile Park with the roar of possibility.
|