Zach Cole's 10th Inning Single Ends Seattle's Nightmare: Astros Snap Nine-Game Skid With Walk-Off Win

The Mariners walked into Houston on Wednesday night and left with nothing but heartbreak. After clawing back to tie the game in the ninth, Seattle couldn't hold on as Zach Cole delivered a walk-off single in the 10th to give the Astros a 4-3 victory at Daikin Park. This was Houston's first walk-off win of the season and their first victory against the Mariners after losing nine straight to Seattle.

Cole's Three-Hit Night Finishes What Seattle Almost Saved

It came down to one swing. With Brice Matthews sitting at second base in the 10th, a wild pitch from Mariners reliever Alex Hoppe (0-1) advanced him to third. That's when Cole capped off a three-hit performance with a single to right that ended it. Houston reliever Bryan Abreu (2-2) made sure the Mariners couldn't answer in the top of the inning, pitching a scoreless frame.

The problem for Seattle was simple: they couldn't execute when runners were in scoring position. The Mariners went 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left 11 on base. Houston wasn't much better at 2-for-12, but they stranded 14 runners. In extra innings baseball, sometimes just one more hit is all that separates a win from a loss.

Julio Rodriguez Ties It Late, But It's Not Enough

The Mariners refused to go quietly. Trailing 3-2 heading into the ninth, Seattle loaded the bases with two walks and an infield single off Astros reliever Bryan King. Julio Rodriguez stepped up and worked a bases-loaded walk that forced in Rob Refsnyder to tie the game at 3-3.

But then the 10th happened, and Cole happened, and that was that.

Miller Impressive in Return, But Astros Keep Chipping Away

Bryce Miller made his season debut after missing time with an oblique injury, and he was mostly solid through 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on eight hits and a walk with three strikeouts. He escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fifth with a strikeout of Jose Altuve with two runners in scoring position, but Houston found him again in the sixth when Christian Walker launched a leadoff home run to cut Seattle's lead to 2-1.

The Astros tied it at 2-2 when Altuve worked a bases-loaded walk off Cooper Criswell in the sixth. Two innings later, Altuve added a sacrifice fly to center that plated Matthews after he reached on a fielder's choice and moved into scoring position on Eduard Bazardo's throwing error.

J.P. Crawford opened the scoring with a leadoff home run in the first, and Luke Raley extended the lead with his ninth homer in the sixth to make it 2-0. But in Houston, early leads don't always hold up. The Astros just needed 10 innings to prove it.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.