Astros Pitcher Owns Singular Accomplish Against Seattle Mariners This Season

Houston Astros starting pitcher Hayden Wesneski has had an up-and-down start to his tenure with the team.

He was one of the players whom the Astros acquired from the Chicago Cubs in the Kyle Tucker blockbuster trade this offseason. There was some debate over what role he would fill, given his previous experience as a starter and relief pitcher.

With so many injuries ravaging the rotation and the departure of Justin Verlander and Yusei Kikuchi in free agency, Wesneski has been a starting pitcher to this point.

Results have been mixed, surrendering at least two runs in all six of his starts. But, in half of them, he has allowed only two. Twice he has given up three and once he was tagged for four runs, resulting in a pedestrian 4.50 ERA.

The Houston coaching staff has yet to unlock his potential as they have done with so many pitchers previously. 

For now, he is a back end starter who isn’t going to hurt you most of the time when he takes the mound but he hasn’t been able to elevate his performance beyond a middle-of-the-rotation arm.

His entire Baseball Savant page is blue except for his excellent walk rate of 4.6%, strong offspeed run value and extension.

However, there is one thing that Wesneski has managed to do this season that no other pitcher in baseball has been able to accomplish.

What Feat Did Hayden Wesneski Accomplish Against Mariners?

On April 7, he took the mound against the Seattle Mariners. He gave the Astros a chance to win the game, throwing 7.0 innings and allowing only two runs with five strikeouts in arguably the best start of his season.

It wasn’t a start many people will recall instantly, but it was a memorable one for a major reason; he is the only pitcher who has completed seven innings this season, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required).

Their American League West rivals have revamped their approach at the plate, leading to a remarkable turnaround offensively. They are first in walk rate and have drastically cut down on strikeouts, leading to increased pitch counts for opposing pitchers.

They are hitting for power and averaging 5.14 runs per game, which is fifith in the MLB entering play on May 9.

In recent years, the Mariners fell apart because their offensive production didn’t come close to what they were doing on the mound.

That isn’t the case in 2025, which could spell trouble for a Houston squad that is now experiencing woes at the plate Seattle is all too familiar with.