The Seattle Mariners earned a critical win on Saturday night over the New York Mets.
The final score was 8-7 as the M's broke a 7-7 tie in the top of the ninth inning on a home run by J.P. Crawford.
The win was secured by reliever Justin Topa, who worked 1.1 scoreless innings. He's now 5-4 on the season with a 2.11 ERA.
The victory was crucial for Seattle, who moved to 77-58 on the year. They are now in sole possession of first place in the American League West standings. They lead the Houston Astros by 1.0 game and the Texas Rangers by 2.0 games. The M's are looking for their second consecutive playoff berth.
Topa's win was a rarity in Mariners team history, according to M's stat man Alex Mayer on social media:
Brilliant caption. Btw, Justin Topa is the first New York-born Mariners pitcher to record a win IN New York since John Halama on Aug. 7, 2000 at the Yankees.
Topa is a 32-year-old native of Binghamton, N.Y., who played his college ball at LIU Brooklyn. He's in his fourth year in the big leagues with the Brewers and Mariners.
The Mariners will have another chance to get a win from a native New Yorker on Sunday as Rye, N.Y. native George Kirby takes the ball against Mets pitcher Tylor Megill.
Kirby is one of the top pitchers in the American League this year, sitting at 10-8 and a 3.28 ERA. Megill is 7-7 with a 5.29 ERA.
First pitch is 1:40 p.m. ET.
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