Josh Naylor's bases-clearing double in 8th sends Mariners back to playoffs in 4-3 win over Rockies

SEATTLE - For just the sixth time in franchise history, the Seattle Mariners are heading to the playoffs.

Josh Naylor's bases-clearing double with two outs in the eighth inning on a 2-0 fastball from Colorado Rockies reliever Victor Vodnik nestled into the gap in left-center field as Luke Raley, J.P. Crawford and Julio Rodríguez raced home to give the Mariners a 4-3 lead seemingly out of nowhere.

"Man, like, he's so special, as a player," Rodríguez said of Naylor. "He just go out there and ball every single time, no excuses. Like, he just go out there and do what he needs to do. And for some reason, I had a feeling that he was gonna do it at that moment, because that's who he is."

Seattle had struck out 15 times in the game leading up to Naylor's shot as their bats went cold for most of the night after a torrid road trip through Kansas City and Houston.

But these Mariners again found a way.

"It's a team game," Naylor said. "Playing hard all the way to the end. It's not over until the last out."

Andrés Muñoz closed out his 38th save of the season in the ninth inning and Seattle celebrated its return to the playoffs.

The fact it was Naylor delivering was somewhat fitting. Too often, Mariners fans lamented the team not "going for it" with enough big acquisitions at the trade deadline to put the team over the top.

But with the acquisitions of Naylor and Eugenio Suárez from the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Mariners finally look like a team that can chase a World Series. As winners of 15 of their last 16 games, there's no team playing better baseball than the Mariners.

"I mean, it's like poetic justice," All-Star catcher Cal Raleigh said. "You know, going out, adding at the deadline, two big bats, and that guy coming through with a three-run double to put us up one run, like, you know, you can't make that stuff up. He's a great player."

Added Rodríguez: "It just felt like they completed the team that we had. We were really good before, and they definitely went out there and got the players that we needed. As soon as they got in, they just blend in really well with the group and we got it rolling right away."

The Mariners had no answers for Colorado starter McCade Brown, who cut through Seattle's lineup with 10 strikeouts through five innings on the hill. Their best chance to do damage came in the first inning as Brown hit Raleigh with a pitch and walked Rodríguez to put two runners on with one out. But Brown forced Naylor to ground into a double play to end the threat.

Brown struck out the next five batters he faced and retired nine straight batters before Naylor's two-out single in the fourth inning.

"That was eight innings of really, really bad baseball on our part," Raleigh said. "Everything from defense to hitting, you know, even me, it wasn't great tonight all the way around, but it's a different guy every night and that's what it takes.

"It takes (Victor Robles) making that diving catch the other day and it takes a guy on the mound coming out in a big spot and taking over. It's things like that that teams that go deep in the postseason do well. Like I said, it takes an army. It's not going to be one guy to do it every night."

A solo home run from Dominic Canzone in the fifth served as the only run Seattle could muster against Brown. 

Jordan Beck had a lead-off double for Colorado in the second inning and scored on a two-out single from Kyle Karros for an early 1-0 Rockies lead.

Bryce Miller was sharp for most of his outing for Seattle, allowing three runs on five hits with a walk and four strikeouts. But Colorado scraped two more runs across in the sixth inning off Miller. A lead-off double from Mickey Moniak and a walk to Blaine Crim put two runners on. Both runners moved up on Beck's deep flyout to center field as Dan Wilson gave the ball to Eduard Bazardo to try and escape the jam.

But Ezequiel Tovar slapped a single through the right side that drove in both runs for a 3-1 Rockies lead.

Seattle managed nothing against Colorado's bullpen before Juan Mejia entered in the eighth inning.

Mejia hit Raley with a pitch and walked Crawford to put two on with no outs. He bounced back with strikeouts of Randy Arozarena and Raleigh before hitting Rodríguez with a pitch as well.

That brought Naylor to the plate as he sent Seattle back to the playoffs.

"It's awesome. We've just got to keep rolling," Naylor said. "We're not done. We continue to have fun every day, play hard, and got to go for that World Series."

It appeared as though the Mariners wouldn't get the help they needed in New York to make it possible to clinch a playoff spot Tuesday night. The Chicago White Sox held a 2-1 lead on the Yankees before a wild pitch on a two-out walk of Cody Bellinger allowed Anthony Volpe to race home to tie the game at 2-2.

José Caballero then lent a helping hand to his former team in Seattle, as his soft line drive to center field was enough to score Aaron Judge for a 3-2 Yankees win. The victory meant Seattle would clinch a playoff spot with a victory over Colorado on Tuesday night.

With the Athletics beating the Houston Astros 5-1 on Tuesday night as well, the Mariners are within reach of the AL West crown as well. Any Seattle victory or Houston loss over the final five days of the regular season will gave the Mariners their first division title since 2001.

"We know the history," Rodríguez said. "We know the hunger that the fan base has. I feel like that's something that motivates us. We'll be out here and do the best that we can every single night to win games and we'll be in this position right now.  I know that's what they want us to do, and that's what we're doing for them."

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