Mariners rally past Athletics 3-2 as Woo dazzles over seven innings
Bryan Woo limited Oakland to a lone hit over seven innings, while Seattle’s bats produced late fireworks to beat the Athletics 3-2 on Friday night. The right-hander struck out seven and walked two, with Brent Rooker belting a first-inning solo homer the only blemish on his line.
Seattle broke through in the seventh. With the game tied at 1, Athletics reliever Elvis Alvarado left a slider up to Josh Naylor, who ripped it to right for his 100th career home run. Two batters later, Jorge Polanco followed with an RBI drive to make it 3-1.
Those late swings gave Woo all the support he needed after a standout start. The A’s scratched across a run in the ninth, but Muñoz escaped a bases-loaded jam to earn his 30th save.
Key moment
Rooker and Tyler Soderstrom singled off Muñoz with one out in the ninth, and rookie Jacob Wilson delivered an RBI single to pull Oakland within one. Lawrence Butler walked to load the bases, but Muñoz retired Darrell Hernaiz on a fly to shallow center and struck out JJ Bleday to end it.
Key stat
Suárez homered in the fifth and, with his 40th homer of the season, joined an elite group as the sixth player to reach 40 homers in a season after switching teams. The others are Greg Vaughn, Mark McGwire, David Justice, Adam Dunn and J.D. Martinez.
Up next
Athletics left-hander Jeffrey Springs (10-8, 4.24 ERA) starts Saturday against right-hander George Kirby (8-6, 4.22) in the middle game of the series.
Additional context for editors
– This win continues a strong stretch for Seattle, with Woo delivering seven solid innings and the bullpen closing it out.
– Naylor’s milestone homer adds an extra layer of drama to a game that showcased Seattle’s depth in the lineup behind Suárez’s power and Polanco’s timely hit.
– The Athletics showed resilience by loading the bases in the ninth, but Muñoz’s shutdown inning preserved the lead and highlighted his reliability as the closer.
Summary
Seattle’s pitching and late-inning hitting overcame a solo homer by Rooker to secure a 3-2 victory over Oakland, keeping the Mariners’ momentum intact as the series rolls into Saturday. Positive takeaway: Woo’s efficiency and the clutch power from Suárez, Naylor, and Polanco provide a blueprint for continued success down the stretch.