Seattle Mariners manager Dan Wilson speaks to the media following an 8-7 win against the Houston Astros on Saturday at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

SEATTLE — With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the ninth Saturday at T-Mobile Park, Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford has done what he's done so many times before: he came through.

With the bases loaded and one out, the longest-tenured player on the Mariners roster hit a walk-off RBI single to left field on an 0-2 count to give Seattle (6-9) an 8-7 win over the Houston Astros.

"(Crawford's) there for the big moments. No question," Mariners manager Dan Wilson said in a postgame interview Saturday. "And tonight was another big moment for him. You kind of saw the frustration in the one-strike swing. He fouled it off. But you knew he was right on it and you knew he could see it and he was in a good spot. I just thought the swing he put on it, the at-bat in general, was just awesome."

J.P. Crawford WALK-OFF single! 🔱 pic.twitter.com/a7vYvkycHP

— MLB (@MLB) April 12, 2026

Crawford's franchise record-tying eighth-walk off plate appearance capped off a comeback attempt from the Mariners that featured six unanswered runs.

Seattle found itself in a position where it needed to work its way back after giving up its own multi-run lead earlier in the game.

Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning that resulted in a 2-0 lead. It was his second homer of the season and first in front of his home crowd at T-Mobile Park.

"I wasn't really thinking about it," Raleigh said after the game. "Just trying to stay on my approach and trying to lock that in after a slow start (to the season). Trying to see the ball a little better and work some at-bats and hunt the right pitches to hit."

Cal Raleigh unloads on this baseball 🔱 pic.twitter.com/PTW9cag4j4

— MLB (@MLB) April 12, 2026

After Raleigh's homer, the Astros put up seven runs from the second-to-fourth innings.

Houston took a 3-2 lead in the top of the second after former Seattle and current Astros center fielder Taylor Trammell hit a bases-clearing, three-RBI double.

Houston bolstered its lead to 6-2 in the top of the third via a solo home run hit by designated hitter Yordan Alvarez and a two-RBI single hit by right fielder Cam Smith.

Third baseman Isaac Paredes provided the last run-scoring hit of the day for the Astros — an RBI single that gave his team a 7-2 lead in the top of the fourth.

The bats are hot tonight! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/pyj1uARYmW

— Houston Astros (@astros) April 12, 2026

Pardes' hit marked the end of the night for Seattle starting pitcher Luis Castillo.

The three-time All-Star struck out three, walked one and allowed seven earned runs on 10 hits (one homer) in 3.1 innings pitched.

After Castillo's early exit, the bullpen stepped up and kept the Mariners in the game.

The reliever combination of Casey Legumina, Jose Ferrer, Eduard Bazardo, Matt Brash and Andres Munoz all allowed base runners in their respective outings. However, none of them allowed anyone to cross home plate.

The bullpen's collective blanking of Houston resulted in the visitors leaving more than a dozen runners stranded. The Astros went 5-for-18 with runners in scoring position and left 13 on base. The bases were left juiced in the top of the ninth after Munoz induced an inning-ending flyout from Alvarez.

"All our guys in the bullpen tonight, to keep that game where it was and to keep that game in a position where we could come back ... that's just a great job all around on all those guys' part down there," Wilson said.

The bullpen's performance allowed Seattle to get back into the game and the offense got the necessary runs to do so in bulk.

In the bottom of the fifth, with one out and the bases loaded (like his eventual walk-off), Crawford hit a two-RBI single that brought home second baseman Cole Young and designated hitter Dominic Canzone. Shortstop Leo Rivas moved to third after a fielding error in center committed by Trammell.

"Mindset's chip away," Crawford said in a postgame interview. "Not trying to come back in one inning. Just chip away here and there, get one (run), get two. We keep drawing our walks, which has been really good. (Keep) the line moving and then a couple big hits and we're right back in it."

Raleigh brought home Rivas after Crawford's single with an RBI sacrifice fly.

Center fielder Julio Rodriguez stepped to the plate after Raleigh and hit his first home run of the season — a two-out, two-run, 426-foot shot to center field that tied the game 7-7.

Julio Rodríguez hits a game-tying two-run homer!

It's a five-run @Mariners inning 🔱 pic.twitter.com/xhSBHlQUTH

— MLB (@MLB) April 12, 2026

The tie held until the bottom of the ninth. With one out, Young, pinch-hitter Brendan Donovan (who's been dealing with a flu-like illness) and Rivas all walked, which set Crawford up for his eventual walk-off.

Donovan, pinch-hit for DH Rob Refsnyder, drew a four-pitch walk. He was absent from the starting lineup for a second-straight game Saturday due to his illness.

"I think it just adds to the lore of Brendan Donovan," Wilson said. "He's a gamer. I don't know what else you could say. Getting a chance to get up there, get his feet in the box — didn't see any strikes, didn't swing at any bad pitches, put together a really good at-bat and just extended that inning and turned it over to Leo, who did the same."

The M's will be looking for their first series win of the series in game three of the four-game set at 1:10 p.m. PT on Sunday at T-Mobile Park. Logan Gilbert will start for the Mariners and Cody Bolton will start for Houston.

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