Leo Rivas game-winning single in 10th gives Seattle Mariners 6-5 win over Cubs

SEATTLE - Leo Rivas delivered a game-winning single in the 10th inning off Chicago Cubs reliever Ryan Zeferjahn that scored Randy Arozarena as the Seattle Mariners beat the Chicago Cubs 6-5 on Friday night.

Alex Bregman homered twice for Chicago – including a solo shot off Andrés Muñoz in the ninth inning that forced extras. Seranthony Domínguez kept the Cubs from scoring in their half of the 10th inning before Rivas' two-out single gave the Mariners a big win to keep pace in the AL West playoff hunt.

"I was out for like two months (with vertigo)," Rivas said. "I couldn't even walk straight for a lot. But coming back and helping the team win a game it means a lot for me."

The backstory:

Every win is critical for the Mariners as they attempt to remain in the playoff picture over the final six weeks of the season. The win over the Cubs allowed Seattle to keep pace with the Houston Astros, who beat the Sacramento Athletics 4-0 on Friday to maintain a four-game lead in the AL West race. The Texas Rangers also won, 2-1 in 10 innings over the Los Angeles Angels, as Seattle remains three games back.

Victor Robles' sacrifice bunt moved Arozarena to third as the inherited runner in the 10th. The Cubs brought left fielder Ian Happ into the infield for a five-man unit to protect home plate, and Julio Rodríguez chopped back to the pitcher for the second out as Arozarena was held at third. However, Rivas lined a sweeper from Zeferjahn to center field to drive in Arozarena for the winning blow.

"In that situation, I'm just trying to hit the ball," Rivas said. "See the ball, hit the ball. Not trying to do too much because we have two outs already. So something low that can make something happen and that was my approach right there."

Rivas has had several late inning heroics for the Mariners. A 10th inning walk-off single against the San Francisco Giants in 2024, a 13th inning walk-off two-run home run against the St. Louis Cardinals last September, and a game-tying single in the seventh inning of Game 5 of the ALDS against the Detroit Tigers last October.

"He kind of has a knack for those big moments and tonight was another big moment for him," manager Dan Wilson said. "We talk about identity. He knows who he is. He wasn't trying to do too much. He was just going up there being Leo Rivas and you love to see it in those situations and it paid off again tonight." 

Dig deeper:

The Mariners rallied from an early 3-0 deficit behind a three-run home run from Cal Raleigh to get back into the contest.

Brendan Donovan and Arozarena each drove in runs, and Emerson Hancock rebounded from a shaky first inning to pitch into the sixth inning for Seattle.

NL MVP favorite Pete Crow-Armstrong crushed his 32nd home run of the year to lead off the game against Hancock for a quick 1-0 lead. A double to the wall from Michael Busch was followed by a two-run blast inside the left field foul pole by Alex Bregman for a 3-0 advantage in the first inning. Happ followed with a double as Chicago tried to pile on further, but Hancock got out of the frame without further damage.

A Josh Naylor single and Taylor Ward walk put two runners on for Raleigh as he took Seattle-area native Matthew Boyd deep into the Mariners' bullpen on the first pitch he saw to tie the game at 3-3 in the second inning. Cole Young singled and scored on a Donovan single to right field to give the Mariners a 4-3 lead.

Errors from Brock Rodden and Donovan in the third inning put Hancock into a jam, but a strikeout of Happ and groundout by Hoerner stranded the runners in scoring position.

Two more runners in the fourth, and a lead-off double by Busch in the fifth all failed to reach home as well as Seattle kept their advantage.

Rodden reached on an error in the fifth, advanced to second on a balk from Boyd, and scored on a soft single to center from Arozarena to extend the lead to 5-3.

The Cubs attempted to rally in the eighth inning before a vital challenged pitch from Raleigh helped Eduard Bazardo escape a bases loaded jam with a one-run lead.

Happ homered off Bazardo to lead off the inning and cut Seattle's lead to 5-4. Nico Hoerner followed with a single, and Pedro Ramírez walked to put the tying and go-ahead runners on base with no outs.

A weak fly ball in foul territory was run down by Brendan Donovan for the first out, and the runners advanced on a groundout by Carson Kelly as the runners were moving on the pitch. After intentionally walking Crow-Armstrong, Raleigh challenged two pitches in a row from Bazardo that had been called balls by home plate umpire Brennan Miller. The second challenge was successful to turn a would-be 3-0 count back to 2-1. The swing allowed Bazardo to rally in the at-bat and strikeout Seiya Suzuki to leave the bases loaded and preserve the one-run lead.

"I thought they were both really close," Raleigh said. "They were obviously right on the edge and they're kind of just coin flips and it's really hard to make those calls. 

"I thought that was a moment when the game – that was the game there. That was the moment to do so. … It was good that we had two (challenges) there."

However, Bregman hammered a hanging slider from Andrés Muñoz into the Cubs' bullpen in the ninth inning to tie the game at 5-5 and force extra innings.

MORE MARINERS NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE

Kade Anderson arrives ahead of MLB debut; Seattle Mariners activate Carlos Vargas

Seattle Mariners call up top pitching prospect Kade Anderson

How to watch Saturday's Cubs vs. Seattle Mariners game on FOX 13

Seattle Mariners rebound with 7-5 win over Brewers

Seattle Mariners to celebrate Rick Rizzs Farewell Weekend for final series against Angels

To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.

Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.

Seattle MarinersSportsMLB