The Seattle Mariners’ capped a series sweep against the Chicago White Sox with a walk-off win in extra innings. And while new addition Eugenio Suarez scored the winning run, it was Dominic Canzone who came through with the big base hit. The Mariners right fielder delivered an exciting victory that pulled the team within a game and a half of the division-leading Astros.
Canzone came through in the clutch with the game winner. The third-year pro has established himself as a starter in Seattle’s outfield after spending most of the first two-plus months of the season in the minors. The Mariners called Canzone up on June 9 and he’s carved out a role with the team.
Reflecting on his time in Triple-A after the walk-off win, Canzone gave his take on playing in the minors. “You can be salty down there and maybe not do the best job that you really can… or you can go the other way and just try to take every day for granted that you get to play baseball every day and work at it,” he explained, per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com.
Dominic Canzone helps lift Mariners in tight division race
The Mariners’ aggressive mindset at the trade deadline appears to have built momentum for the team. Seattle landed Suarez and Josh Naylor in separate mid-season deals with the Arizona Diamondbacks. And after sweeping the White Sox, the Mariners have won six of seven games since July 31.
In Thursday’s wild win, Logan Gilbert and Shane Smith dueled it out early but each left after five innings. Chicago tied the game in the seventh and the score remained knotted until both teams plated a run in the 10th inning. The White Sox chose to intentionally walk Mitch Garver to face Canzone and he made them pay.
With Suarez the designated runner on second, Canzone slapped a Brandon Eisert slider through the right side and sent Mariners fans home happy. Since his June 9 call up, Canzone had been slashing .296/.355/.500. After playing the hero on Thursday he has eight home runs and 17 RBI with a 141 OPS+ in 49 games this season.
While Seattle moved to 1.5 games back in the AL West with the win, it wasn’t all good news for the Mariners. Naylor exited the game with a shoulder injury after three innings Thursday. Although he’s listed as day-to-day, the ailment is a lingering issue for the veteran first baseman.
