Giants top Mariners 10-9 in 11 innings

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - APRIL 4: San Francisco Giants Tyler Fitzgerald (49) scores the walk off winning run in the 11th inning during the San Francisco Giants 2025 season home opener versus the Seattle Mariners on April 4, 2025, at Oracle Park in San Fra (Ben Warden / Icon Sportswire / Getty Images)

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Willy Adames delivered a two-out, two-run single to right field off Carlos Vargas in the 11th inning as the Seattle Mariners lost a wild 10-9 game to the San Francisco Giants on Friday afternoon.

The Mariners had taken the lead in the top of the inning on a wild pitch from Spencer Bivins that allowed Luke Raley to score the go-ahead run from third. Vargas entered for the bottom of the 11th as the only pitcher remaining in Seattle's bullpen.

Vargas got Sam Huff to groundout and struck out Lamont Wade Jr. looking, but Tyler Fitzgerald walked and stole second base to put the winning run in scoring position. Adames slapped a cutter away and off the plate into right field as Luis Matos and Fitzgerald raced home to score, beating the throw of Victor Robles for the victory.

The backstory:

For the second time in four games, the Mariners had a starting pitcher fail to make it more than three innings. Luis F. Castillo – making his first MLB start after playing in Japan last year – got the spot start for Seattle and allowed three runs on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts over three innings.

But Justin Verlander didn't make it deep into the game either for San Francisco as the scoreboard lit up for both teams in the Giants' home opener. Verlander allowed three runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts in just 2 ⅓ innings for the Giants.

Julio Rodríguez took Verlander deep over the right field wall for an opposite-field solo home run that gave the Mariners an early 1-0 lead.

An RBI single from Matt Chapman tied the game in the bottom of the first before the Giants grabbed the lead in the second inning. San Francisco loaded the bases with no outs on a Wilmer Flores single, a bunt single from Patrick Bailey, and a sacrifice bunt misplayed by Luis F. Castillo. Lamont Wade Jr.'s double to right field scored a pair to make it a 3-1 Giants lead.

Seattle loaded the bases themselves in the third inning. A 13-pitch battle from Cal Raleigh against Verlander for a walk packed the bags with another walk to Randy Arozarena making it 3-2. Jorge Polanco followed with an RBI single to tie the game at 3-3 and end Verlander's outing.

Willy Adames singled and stole second base before scoring on a Jung Hoo Lee single as the Giants regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth against Tayler Saucedo. Heliot Ramos then drove in Lee on an RBI single to right field to make it 5-3 Giants.

Polanco delivered a two-run home run deep to right field off Lou Trivino to tie the game yet again in the top of the fifth.

Wade tripled deep to right-center field with two outs in the bottom of the inning and scored on a double from Adames to make it a 6-5 Giants lead.

Victor Robles and Rodríguez answered back with singles off Camilo Doval and advanced on a double steal into scoring position. Second baseman Tyler Fitzgerald then whiffed on fielding a Raleigh ground ball, which allowed both Robles and Rodríguez to score to give Seattle a 7-6 lead. After Raleigh stole third base, Polanco drove him in with a single to make it an 8-6 Mariners advantage.

Chapman homered off Eduard Bazardo to trim the lead to one, and an RBI groundout by Bailey was enough to score Ramos to tie the game at 8-8 in the bottom of the sixth.

Bailey nearly ended the game with a walk-off homer in the ninth, having to settle for a double off the top of the brick wall in right field instead. A wild pitch from Gregory Santos moved pinch-runner Christian Koss to third base as the Mariners were on the ropes. Santos bounced back with a weak fly out from Fitzgerald, a pop-out from Adames, and a groundout to first from Lee to escape the jam.

It took until the 11th inning before Seattle regained the lead. Miles Mastrobuoni singled to advance Luke Raley to third base and a walk from J.P. Crawford loaded the bases with one out. After Robles struck out, Spencer Bivens spiked a pitch in the dirt that got by catcher Sam Huff as Raley raced home from third for a 9-8 Mariners lead.

Vargas was checked for an injury after stepping awkwardly on a groundout from Wade, but stayed in. Fitzgerald's walk came with a questionable ball four call on a slider right on the edge from Vargas. That lost out came back to bite Seattle as Fitzgerald served as the winning run on Adames' single.

The Source: Original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle.