Cole Young's Clutch At-Bat Shows Promise, But Mariners Fall 5-3 to Yankees

The Mariners had their moment. With two outs and the tying run on second base in the ninth inning, Cole Young stepped to the plate against Yankees closer David Bednar. After working through a grueling 10-pitch battle, Young's bat made contact, but the ball floated harmlessly into Aaron Judge's glove in right field. Final out. Final score: Yankees 5, Mariners 3.

For most of Wednesday's afternoon at T-Mobile Park, things looked even worse. The Seattle offense was completely shut down, managing just two hits off Cam Schlittler while struck out 16 straight batters before Young finally broke through in the eighth inning with a two-out, bases-loaded single that brought the Mariners within 4-2. It wasn't enough, but it gave the team something to build on.

Young's Spark: The One Bright Spot

Here's what's wild: for a team that's been sluggish at the plate early, the 22-year-old second baseman might be the most positive development of the first week. Young finished the homestand hitting .320 with an .866 OPS. He singled earlier Wednesday and made a highlight-reel defensive play with a jump-throw to first off a backhanded grab. Manager Dan Wilson sees the confidence building.

"It really typifies the way this team fights and fights you till the end," Wilson said. "And to see that from Cole, he's really starting to feel the confidence and I think really starting to feel the flow here a little bit. And it's really great to see from such a young player."

The Heart of the Lineup Still Searching

While Young and the supporting cast of Canzone, Donovan, Raley and Arozarena have carried the load, the core isn't firing yet. Cal Raleigh showed some signs of life with that eighth-inning spark and a walkoff hit Monday, but Julio Rodríguez is trending toward another early-season struggle. He struck out swinging on a Bednar splitter after Raleigh's two-run single, stranding two runners. Josh Naylor is in a brutal slump with just one hit in 27 at-bats.

Schlittler was dominant for New York, throwing three variations of a fastball all in the mid to upper 90s with no walks and seven strikeouts over 6.1 innings. George Kirby's quality start went to waste when he left a fastball over the middle to Paul Goldschmidt, who crushed a back-breaking three-run homer in the sixth. Kirby's biggest frustration: three walks that all came around to score.

"We just weren't able to barrel anything up," Wilson said. "Obviously, we've got some adjustments to make offensively, and we will do that."

Looking Ahead

The Mariners (3-4) take Thursday off before heading to Anaheim for their first road trip of the season Friday. Wilson wants to take the positives from the homestand and build on them. "The pitching was outstanding for us as we got started," he said. "There's a lot of positives we can draw from this homestand, and that's what we'll take with us on the road."

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