The Seattle Mariners very nearly pulled off a wild comeback Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles, thanks in large part to a clutch demonstration of power by outfielder Dominic Canzone.
Canzone stepped up to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, all while the Mariners trailed the Orioles 3-2. After taking ball one from right-hander Mike Baumann, Canzone demolished a 97 mile-per-hour fastball right down the middle and sent it sailing to deep right field.
As the crowd watched the ball cruise 402 feet into the windows at T-Mobile Park, Canzone flicked his wrists, flipping the bat down at his feet as he waltzed out of the batter's box.
Canzone's home run – his first as a member of the Mariners – sent the game to extra innings.
Seattle was unable to pull off the victory, however, as newly-activated outfielder Cedric Mullins answered with a home run of his own in the top of the 10th. Baltimore escaped with the 5-3 win, clinching the series and improving to 25-13 since July 1.
Before losing Saturday and Sunday, the Mariners were riding an eight-game winning streak. Seattle's 25-12 record since July 1 is the only one in the American League that ranks above Baltimore's.
The Mariners were able to get to that point by making a few moves around the margins ahead of the MLB trade deadline, including dealing closer Paul Sewald to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Canzone and a pair of young infielders.
Canzone was ranked as Arizona's No. 19 prospect before the trade, and he immediately joined Seattle's MLB roster following the deal.
Since arriving in Seattle, Canzone is hitting .192 with a .635 OPS. The outfielder, who is set to turn 26 years old on Wednesday, had a -0.1 WAR as a member of the Mariners entering Sunday.
Canzone may not have been able to deliver his team a win, but he kept them alive just a little longer in one of baseball's wildest games of the year – and with a bit of flash, too.
The Mariners will return to action Monday against the Kansas City Royals, opening up their 10-game road trip at 8:10 p.m. ET.
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