SEATTLE (AP) — Josh Naylor in the eighth inning to send the Seattle Mariners to the playoffs with a 4-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night.
The Mariners (88-69) won for the 15th time in 16 games to secure the team’s second postseason appearance since 2001. They can wrap up the AL West title as soon as Wednesday.
Seattle came into the game needing a win and a victory by the New York Yankees, who did their part by beating the Chicago White Sox. But for most of the game, it appeared the Mariners would have to wait. They trailed 3-1 through seven innings and finished the game with just three hits.
Their last hit, from Naylor, was all they needed. The Mariners loaded the bases in the eighth when reliever Juan Mejia (2-2) hit two batters and walked another. Naylor then drove a 2-0 fastball from Victor Vodnik into the left-center gap to score three runs.
Gabe Speier (4-3) pitched the eighth for Seattle, and Andres Munoz struck out two in a perfect ninth for his 38th save.
In his sixth career start, Rockies right-hander McCade Brown held Seattle to one run on two hits in five innings while setting a new high for strikeouts with 10. Brown entered the game with 11 career strikeouts and his previous best was four, which he reached in the second inning Tuesday.
It was just the second time a Rockies pitcher reached double-digit strikeouts this season. Kyle Freeland had 10 against the Padres on Sept. 5.
Dominic Canzone had a solo homer for Seattle in the fifth, his 11th.
Seattle is a major league-best 24-6 at home since the All Star break.
Rockies RHP Tanner Gordon (6-7, 6.00 ERA) starts Wednesday against Mariners RHP Luis Castillo (10-8, 3.63).
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