In a game that played more like a home run derby than a pitchers’ duel, the Seattle Mariners erased a late deficit and held off the St. Louis Cardinals for an 11-9 victory Saturday afternoon at Busch Stadium. Eight home runs left the yard — five by the Cardinals, three by the Mariners — as both clubs combined for 33 hits in a back-and-forth affair that featured multiple lead changes and a frenzied ninth inning.
Bryan Woo, making the start for Seattle, lasted just three innings and was tagged for seven runs on nine hits, including four home runs. Matthew Liberatore fared little better for St. Louis, allowing five runs on eight hits in 3⅓ innings. From there, both bullpens traded zeros until the late drama unfolded.
The fireworks began immediately. In the first, Julio Rodríguez greeted Liberatore with a two-run homer to left, scoring Cal Raleigh and himself for a quick 2-0 lead. The Cardinals answered in the bottom half with back-to-back solo shots from J. Wetherholt and I. Herrera, knotting the score at 2-2. In the second, Will Wilson launched a two-run blast to left that put Seattle back in front, 4-2, only for Nathan Church to answer with a solo homer that cut the deficit to 4-3.
The Cardinals seized control in the third. Masyn Winn delivered an RBI single, Church added a sacrifice fly, and Pedro Pagés crushed a two-run homer to left. Suddenly it was 7-4 St. Louis, and Woo’s day was effectively over.
Seattle refused to fold. Cole Young homered in the fourth, Randy Arozarena delivered a sacrifice fly in the fifth, and Dominic Canzone tied the game at 7-7 with an RBI single in the sixth. The Cardinals reclaimed the lead in the seventh when Church launched his second homer of the day — a two-run shot — to make it 9-7.
But the Mariners’ late offense proved decisive. In the eighth, Connor Joe ripped a two-run single off reliever Riley O’Brien to tie it at 9-9. Then in the ninth, with two aboard and two out, Leonardo Rivas lined a two-run single to center that plated J.P. Crawford and Mitch Garver for the 11-9 lead. Andrés Muñoz worked around a walk in the bottom half to record his fifth save, sealing the win for Matt Brash (2-0).
Rodríguez finished 3-for-6 with a homer and two RBIs, while Young went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and a long ball. Church paced the Cardinals with two homers and four RBIs, and Pagés added three hits and a two-run shot. Yet the Cardinals’ bullpen — particularly O’Brien, charged with the loss — could not contain Seattle’s late rally.
The Mariners (13-15) snapped a mini skid and improved to 3-8 on the road. The Cardinals (14-12) dropped their second straight despite a season-high five home runs. Both clubs will meet again Sunday to close the interleague series, with the temperature forecast to remain warm and the ball expected to keep carrying.
