Raleigh hits 23rd homer and Arozarena gets winning hit in 9th to lift Mariners over Twins 2-1

SEATTLE, WA — Cal Raleigh launched his MLB-best 23rd home run, and Randy Arozarena delivered a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Seattle Mariners to a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.

With the game tied in the ninth, Julio Rodríguez led off with a single against Twins reliever Griffin Jax (1-3). Rodríguez then stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by catcher Ryan Jeffers. Arozarena followed with a sharp grounder up the middle to bring Rodríguez home for the game-winning run.

Raleigh provided Seattle’s first run in the seventh with a towering homer off a curveball from Twins starter Chris Paddack. Despite the long ball, Paddack was outstanding, striking out 10 and allowing just four hits over eight innings. He threw 75 of his 110 pitches for strikes.

Seattle starter Luis Castillo was equally impressive, tossing six scoreless innings. The Twins, however, managed to tie the game in the top of the ninth on a sacrifice fly by Harrison Bader off Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz (2-0).

Minnesota had a chance to score earlier in the third inning, putting runners on the corners with two outs, but Seattle third baseman Ben Williamson made a crucial play, charging a slow roller from Carlos Correa to end the threat.

Raleigh’s homer continued a historic run. He became the first Mariners player since Nelson Cruz in 2016 to hit at least 10 home runs in multiple months of a season — with 10 in March/April and 12 in May. He’s also the first to do it in back-to-back months since Alex Rodriguez in 1999.

Up next:

• The Twins send right-hander Joe Ryan (5-2, 2.57 ERA) to the mound Monday night against the Oakland Athletics.
• After a day off, the Mariners open a series with Baltimore on Tuesday, with George Kirby (0-2, 11.42 ERA) scheduled to start.