Rangers vs Mariners summary online: stats, scores and highlights | MLB game highlights
Rangers drop AL West in loss to Mariners
Texas unable to close the deal, losing the AL West on final day
No sport has a season that is as long and winding as does Major League Baseball. In the NFL, one win or one loss can change the trajectory of a season. Basketball, hockey, or even soccer can see a loss or two torpedo a team's dreams, even as a couple of wins can lift their hopes. In the winding and meandering 162 game season of Major League Baseball, however, it is not common for a game, or even a single series, to make much difference to a season.
That is why today, October 1, 2023 is so unusual. In a season that saw the AL West flip flop several times, owned for the large majority of the year by the Texas Rangers, in the end, it all came down to one game. One loss has changed everything.
The Rangers needed only to win one game, the final game of the season, and they could not muster any offense at all. Partly this is down to the Mariners pitching being generally outstanding, with young George Kirby being virtually unhittable. But for the most prolific offense in the American League to be completely shut down? That takes something else.
Defensively, the Rangers were solid, as good as you could hope to ask. Dane Dunning was outstanding in four innings, working on short rest, and despite a momentary wobble which saw the only run of the game score on a pair hits and a walk, Texas stiffened up nicely. Martín Peréz was incredible, holding the Mariners where they were for three more innings and Jonathan Hernández shut them down nicely.
But you can’t win if you can’t score. And Texas bats were oddly silent today.
The Houston Astros, meanwhile, were making their own case, taking the Arizona Diamondbacks apart in an 8-1 win, giving them the tie breaker over the Rangers and the division along with it.
This will mean that the Rangers will now need to go the long way, via Tampa Bay who have been the best home team in MLB this season, if they want to make it to the Fall Classic. It doesn’t get any easier, either. Should the Rangers make it past Tampa, they will have to travel to Baltimore to take on the steaming hot Orioles before they can even consider coming back to Texas.
The Rangers have created their own hill to climb, and it is a steep one.
Goodbye!
That is going to do it for our live coverage of the Rangers vs Mariners and the 2023 MLB regular season. We hope that you enjoyed it as much as we did! Keep abreast of all MLB and sports news with Diario AS USA and stick with us as we bring you the full playoffs live. We will return on Tuesday for the Wild Card games. Until then, good night and God bless!
With Houston up 8-0 in the ninth inning, it is almost certain that they will win the AL West. What this means for Texas is that instead of flying back to Dallas, they will fly to Tampa to take on the Rays in the Wild Card series.
You have to tip your hat to Seattle, they came out with all guns blazing and played an outstanding game, particularly from the mound, knowing that they had nothing other than pride to play for. They are worthy challengers and deserved this win.
While it may be a downer for the Rangers that they led the AL West all season and finish in second place, the other way to look at that situation is that a team that lost over 100 games just two years ago is now in the playoffs.
That loss will mean that in all likelihood the Rangers will not win the division. The Astros are ahead in Arizona and if it stays that way, then Texas will slip down to be the Wild Card team, meaning that they will have to get through that first level of the post season.
Mariners win
Garver bangs a fly ball to left field and Canzone hauls it in to end the game.
Mitch Garver the hitter and he represents the last chance for the Rangers.
Corey Seager now and he lifts one out to left field for Canzone. Two down.
Top of the order now and Marcus Semien runs the count full. The payoff delivery from Campbell is a peach of a slider and Semien goes down swinging. One away.
Top 9th
Evan Carter will lead it off for Texas and he lines one into right field for a leadoff single.
Pitching change
Seattle will call on Isaiah Campbell to try and slam the door on Texas.
Luis Torrens now up and chases a slider in the dirt for strike three.
Hernández does the business on the mound, and now the Rangers are down to their last three outs and they need to do it with the bat.
At the end of eight, Mariners 1 Rangers 0
José Caballero the hitter now and he goes down swinging on three straight sliders. Two down.
Bottom 8th
Dylan Moore will lead off for Seattle and he pops a towering shot to center field. Leody Taveras gets under it for the first out.
Pitching change
Bruce Bochy will send in Jonathan Hernández to take over on the mound from Martín Peréz.
Leody Taveras up now and he bounces one to second base as well. Another hit to the same spot for the same result. The Rangers go 1-2-3 in the eighth and they are running out of time.
Jonah Heim the hitter now and he chops one to second base for the easy play at first. Two away.
Top 8th
Josh Jung leads off for the Rangers in the eighth and he gets rung up on a beautiful two seamer that rides back in from the outside corner. One down
Pitching change
The Mariners will send Trent Thornton in to replace Prelander Berroa on the mound.
Josh Rojas up now and he bounces it back to the mound. Martín Peréz dribbles it but recovers, makes the throw and gets the out to end the inning.
Mike Ford the hitter now and he gets three breaking balls for strikes, going down swinging.
Bottom 7th
Dominic Canzone will lead off for the Mariners in the seventh and is called out on a peach of a fastball that runs the inside rail. One down.
Nathaniel Lowe up now and he runs the count full, before going after a sinker for strike three.
Adolis Garcia the batter and runs the count to 2-2 before watching a called third strike. Two away.
Top 7th
Mitch Garver leads off for Texas and rolls on out to short for Caballero. The throw to first is a little wobbly, but Ty France digs it for the first out.
Pitching change
The Mariners will send in Prelander Berroa to replace an outstanding George Kirby on the mound.
They have also moved Dylan Moore out to center field, as Jose Caballero takes over at short, replacing Julio Rodriguez in the lineup.
Luis Torrens will take over behind the plate from Cal Raleigh.
Ty France the hitter now and he jumps on the second pitch, sending it out to center, but Leody Taveras is under it to end the inning.
Peréz 1000th career strikeout
Jarred Kelenic the hitter and goes down swinging on a beautiful sinker.
That is the 1000th career strikeout for Martín Peréz.
Bottom 6th
Eugenio Suárez leads off and pops one out to right for Adolis Garcia. One away.
Corey Seager steps up and he hits one on the right side. Rojas is able to get to it and the throw to first is in time to end the inning.
In the middle of six, the Mariners 1, Rangers 0.
Marcus Semien the batter and he fights off a series of pitches, fouling off three in a row as the count runs full. The payoff from Kirby is a 97mph fastball that jelly-legs Semien for strike three.
Carter runs the count full and swings through an elevated fastball for strike three.
Top 6th
Evan Carter will lead off for Texas and the Mariners will make a defensive substitution, putting Dylan Moore at shortstop for JP Crawford.
We do it again and the payoff is a high fastball that Raleigh can't catch up with to go down swinging.
Cal Raleigh the hitter and he watches a 3-0 go by for a called strike, before fouling one off to fill the count up. The payoff pitch is ripped hard down the left field line, but foul.
Julio Rodriguez now and he taps one to second. The throw to first is in time for out number two.
Bottom 5th
JP Crawford leads off for the Mariners and pops the first pitch into foul territory. Jonah Heim pulls it in for the first out.
Double play
Leody Taveras comes to the plate now and he bounes one to second. The flip to second gets one and the throw to first gets the second to end the inning.
Jonah Heim the hitter now and he pokes a ground ball through on the right side for a single.
Top 5th
Josh Jung leads off for the Rangers in the fifth and he rips a ground ball to short. Crawford's throw is a little low but Ty France digs it out for the first out.
Josh Rojas now the batter with bases loaded and two outs. He bounces a chopper to first and Lowe steps on the bag to end the inning.
The Mariners strand three, but they do score a run and they lead at the end of four, 1-0.
Mike Ford now comes up and the first pitch hits him, so the bases are loaded again.
Mariners score
Dominic Canzone comes to the plate now with one out and the bases loaded. Peréz delivers and Canzone dribbles one to first. Lowe steps on the bag for the second out and throws it home for Heim. The tag is late and the Mariners are on the board.
Pitching change
Bruce Bochy isn't going to wait and see. He pops out of the dugout and calls for Martín Peréz to replace Dunning, who has been spectacular up to now.
France works the count full, getting a bit of luck on a couple of pitches there. The payoff delivery misses outside and Dunning has walked the bases full.
Two men on for Ty France now with one out.
The Rangers have gotten Martín Peréz up in their bullpen.
Dunning gets two quick strikes before the next delivery juuuuussttt misses outside.
Jarred Kelenic now and he loops one into left for a single. Back to back hits for Seattle for the first time today.
Eugenio Suárez the hitter now and he nubs one up the middle that manages to squeeze through to center for a single.
Bottom 4th
Cal Raleigh leads off for the Mariners. Dunning delivers two balls before Raleigh lifts one to short left field for Evan Carter. One away.
Nathaniel Lowe the hitter now with a runner on and two down. He crushes a two seamer, deep to the wall in center field. On the warning track and Julio Rodriguez pulls it down to end the inning. Lowe missed a home run by two feet.
Adolis Garcia now and he singles on a sharp ground ball to center field.
Mitch Garver comes up and gets fastballs, splitter and four seamer, going down swinging for the second out.
Top 4th
Corey Seager leads off for Texas and works the count to 2-2 before going down swinging at an elevated splitter.
Julio Rodriguez the batter now. The count is worked to 3-1 before a tapper to third sees Jung go to second to get the force out to end the inning.
JP Crawford will now come up and he bangs a towering shot to deep right field. He got underneath it and Adolis Garcia makes the catch for out number two.
Rojas runs the count full before the payoff pitch is popped high to short stop. Corey Seager puts it away for the first out.
With a man on and nobody out, Josh Rojas steps to the plate.
He crushes a deep ball to right, back and deep, but foul.
Bottom 3rd
Mike Ford leads off for Seattle and he loops one out into short center field for a single.
Semien runs the count full before the payoff pitch is bounced to short stop. Crawford makes the throw to first to end the inning.
Marcus Semien now comes up with two outs and a runner in scoring position.
Double
Evan Carter comes up and jumps on the first pitch, lining it into the gap in right center for a double. That is the Rangers' first hit of the game.
Leody Taveras will come up now and he taps one straight back to the mound. Kirby fields it and makes the throw to first for the second out.
Top 3rd
Jonah Heim leads off for Texas and pops a towering fly ball to third base. Eugenio Suárez camps out under it and puts it away.
Canzone goes after a low slider for strike three that was just nasty!
The Mariners strand a runner and both pitchers are on fire today.
Dominic Canzone comes up now with one on and one out.
Ty France is the batter now and he rips a hard line drive to left. It is off the wall for a two out single. That is the first hit of the day.
Jarred Kelenic comes to the plate now and he bounces one to first. Lowe fields it and steps on the bag for the second out.
Bottom 2nd
Eugenio Suárez will lead off for the Mariners and gets three breaking balls for strike, going down swining.
That is the third straight strikeout for Dane Dunning.
Josh Jung will be the batter now and gets nothing but sliders, going down swinging on a peach of a pitch!
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Nathaniel Lowe comes up and watches three called strikes go by for the second out.
Top 2nd
Adolis García will lead off for Texas and is aggressive, swinging at the first pitch and popping it into shallow right. Jarred Kelenic charges it and makes the catch for out number one.
Cal Raleigh will come up now and gets the same treatment. Three breaking pitches with the final sinker falling off the table and just like that the side is out.
Julio Rodriguez comes up and sees three sliders, unable to hold up on the third and strikes out swinging.
Bottom 2nd
Dane Dunning will take control on the mound for Texas, working on short rest, and he will face JP Crawford to get things going.
First pitch delivered is gronded softly to third and Josh Jung fields it, makes the throw to first and it is one pitch, one out here in the bottom of the first.
The count runs to 1-2 before Garver goes down swinging on a nasty splitter that the bottom just dropped out of. The Rangers go in order.
Mitch Garver now up and he jumps on the first pitch as well! It is long to left, but foul.
Marcus Seager now comes up and gets under one, lifting it high to shallow left. Canzone drifts over and puts it away for the second out.
First pitch
George Kirby is on the mound and he will face Marcus Semien to lead things off for the Rangers.
The delivery is jumped on by Semien who hits a line drive to left center. Dominic Canzone makes the run over from left and pulls it in for out number one.
We are off and running! One pitch, one out.
Both teams are currently on the field and warming up. We are just about fifteen minutes away from the first pitch of the last regular season game.
First playoff spot in eight years
The Rangers have now clinched their first playoff berth since 2016. It comes on the back of some nail-biting and frustrating play in the tail end of a season where they have simply dominated the division.
With the Astros only a game behind the Rangers and having also clinched a spot in the playoffs, this roller coaster season comes down to the last game.
Every Game free today with MLB.tv
For the final day of the regular season, every game being played is free to watch on MLB.tv. You will have to create an account if you don’t already have one, but there is no credit card required.
You can check out Miguel Cabrera’s final game, bidding adieu to a sure-thing Hall of Famer or check out the performance of Ronald Acuña Jr or Mookie Betts. If you want to see how the other side of the AL West race is going you can watch the Astros game.
If you want to keep up with everything at once, you can watchMLB Big Inning, providing live whiparound coverage of all 15 games in the league.
Lineups
The Home Team
Mariners Batting Order
1. Crawford (SS)
2. Rodríguez (CF)
3. Raleigh (C)
4. Suárez (3B)
5. Kelenic (RF)
6. France (1B)
7. Canzone (LF)
8. Ford (DH)
9. Rojas (2B)
The Visitors
Rangers Batting Order
1. Semien (2B)
2. Seager (SS)
3. Garver (DH)
4. García (RF)
5. Lowe (1B)
6. Jung (3B)
7. Heim (C)
8. Taveras (CF)
9. Carter (LF)
STARTING PITCHERS
TEXAS RANGERS
Dane Dunning (RHP)
12 - 6
3.72 ERA
136 K
169.1 IP
SEATTLE MARINERS
George Kirby (RHP)
12 - 10
3.46 ERA
165 K
184.2 IP
PITCHING
On the mound, the Rangers will turn to Dane Dunning who has stepped up in a big way this season. He will be starting on short rest after his last outing saw him throw a gem of a game against the Los Angeles Angels, going seven scoreless innings on 87 pitches. Dunning’s slider is his key pitch. With it working, he is close to lights-out. If not, the Mariners righty-heavy lineup can pick him apart.
Across the base lines, the Mariners will call on George Kirby once more. The wunderkind has been a revelation to Seattle this season and he has turned out to be one of the best control pitchers in the game. Questions about his attitude and work ethic are under intense scrutiny after a public statement that he “didn’t want to be out there” on the mound, but he brushed all that aside in his last outing when he tossed six scoreless innings on five hits on Wednesday in a loss to the Houston Astros.
WELCOME!!!
Welcome to the Diario AS USA live commentary of the final game of the 2023 regular season between the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners as the AL West has come right down to the bitter end.
The Texas Rangers clinched a playoff spot with a win last night in game three, which simultaneously saw the Seattle Mariners see their Wild Card hopes dashed. The American League will send Toronto to the post season in one Wild Card spot and either Houston or Texas will occupy the other.
The Rangers are currently in first place in the AL West with Houston trailing by just game. A win by Houston in Arizona and a loss by Texas here would see them tied at 90-72 each. Houston holds the tie breaker over Texas so the current playoff positions would be reversed.
If the Rangers want to keep their destiny in their own hands, then they need a win here tonight.
The Mariners will not be in the playoffs, win or lose, mathematically unable to make up the ground on Houston or Toronto, but will still be playing for pride tonight.