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Mariners tied game on controversial call by umpires

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated Jul 20, 2025 9:54 AM ET

The Seattle Mariners defeated the Houston Astros in extra innings on Saturday night following a controversial ruling that allowed them to tie the game.

The Mariners were trailing 6-5 in the 10th inning and had one out with runners on second and third at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Wash. Josh Hader threw a fastball inside that appeared to hit Dylan Moore in the hand, but the ball trickled out toward the pitcher’s mound. It was ruled that the ball hit the knob of Moore’s bat and was live.

Hader threw Moore out at first, but Cal Raleigh scored the tying run from third. The Astros challenged the call in hopes of having it overturned to a hit by pitch, but the challenge was unsuccessful.

You can see the full sequence:

Something you don't see every day.

Josh Hader appears to hit Dylan Moore with a pitch. Umpire rules it hit the bat and is in play. Cal Raleigh sprints home with the tying run.

The Astros challenge, arguing that it should be an HBP. The challenge was unsuccessful. pic.twitter.com/JYAEDC1Ttl
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) July 20, 2025

The ball definitely caught a piece of Moore’s bat, otherwise it would not have ricocheted back to the pitcher’s mound like that. The question is whether it also hit part of Moore’s hand.

Had the call on the field been a hit by pitch, it likely would have been upheld. The replays were not clear enough to show whether the ball hit Moore’s hand.

Seattle ended up winning the game on a walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th, so the controversial call had a huge impact. Had the umpires ruled that Moore was hit by Hader’s pitch, the Mariners would have had the bases loaded with one out in the 10th. It is possible they would have scored anyway, but the Astros would have still had a lead with a chance to get out of the jam to win the game.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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