The Tampa Bay Rays couldn’t slow down the red-hot Seattle Mariners on Saturday night, falling 7-4 at T-Mobile Park, but one of the game’s most memorable moments came in a rare pitcher-batter duel that had the crowd buzzing.
In the top of the sixth inning, Rays reliever Mason Englert faced Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford in what turned into a marathon 17-pitch at-bat — tied for the longest by a Seattle hitter since pitch tracking began in 1988. Crawford fouled off 12 pitches in the battle before finally popping out to shortstop, drawing a standing ovation from the home crowd despite the out.
J.P. Crawford and Mason Englert battled in a 17-pitch at-bat pic.twitter.com/S9Qj2lK4A5
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 10, 2025
The gritty showdown was one of the few bright spots for the Rays on a night when Seattle’s offense flexed its muscle early and often. Cal Raleigh, fresh off Friday’s go-ahead homer, launched his MLB-leading 44th home run in the third inning — a three-run blast that put the Mariners ahead 5-1. Julio Rodríguez followed on the very next pitch with his second homer of the game, a solo shot that pushed the lead to 6-1. Rodríguez also opened the scoring in the first with a towering 436-foot, two-run homer.
Mariners take down the Rays at home on Saturday
“Walks bit us, and keeping the ball in the ballpark when it counted,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said postgame. Tampa Bay pitchers issued eight free passes, including four to Seattle rookie Cole Young, who also scored on a wild pitch from Englert in the sixth for the Mariners’ final run.
Rays starter Joe Boyle (1-2) struggled with command after a dominant outing against the Dodgers in his previous start. He allowed six runs on four hits — three of them homers — and five walks in just 3 1/3 innings. “The velocity was spiked,” Cash noted of Boyle’s 100-plus mph fastballs. “I don’t know if that made him a little more erratic or not… he somehow has to harness it in the strike zone.”
Tampa Bay’s offense came from the long ball as well. Brandon Lowe homered for the second straight game in the first inning, and Junior Caminero crushed a three-run shot in the sixth to cut the deficit to 6-4. Caminero’s homer was his 32nd of the season and his fourth in the last three games. In just his first 162 career MLB games, the 21-year-old has compiled 39 homers, 105 RBIs, and 162 hits.
But Seattle’s bullpen shut the door after that, with Andrés Muñoz working a clean ninth for his 27th save. The Mariners have now won six straight games, moving within a half-game of the Houston Astros for the AL West lead.
For the Rays, the loss dropped them to 57-61, now 5 1/2 games back of the Yankees for the final AL wild-card spot. They’ve lost 12 of their last 16 and continue to struggle on the road, having dropped 13 of their last 16 away from Tropicana Field.
Englert’s 17-pitch triumph over Crawford will be remembered for its grit, but the Rays will need a lot more than moral victories to keep their playoff hopes alive.
