SEATTLE – On the eve of his major league debut, as he unsuccessfully tried to get some sleep, Cole Young’s mind raced through all the various scenarios he might find himself in the next day.

But there was one situation that never crossed his mind.

Perhaps because it would’ve seemed too good to be true.

Young delivered a walkoff in the 11th inning of his first big league game, chopping a grounder to first base that brought home Miles Mastrobuoni for the winning run in the Seattle Mariners’ 5-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday evening.

“That was unreal,” Young said, still trying to grasp the dream-like whirlwind that had just ensued. “I can’t even describe it. The past 24 hours, it has been insane. I mean, I never thought I would be in that situation hit a walkoff in my debut. That was unreal.

“I didn’t sleep last night,” he added. “I was just thinking of every scenario that could happen, (but) a walkoff was not in my mind.”

Young also picked up his first career hit in the ninth inning. After falling behind 1-2 against Minnesota reliever Griffin Jax, Young dipped down and pulled a low-and-inside sweeper into right field for a single.

And in the 10th, Young helped turn an inning-ending double play that prevented a run from scoring.

It was all part of a highly impressive debut for the 21-year-old second baseman, who was promoted earlier in the day after a scorching month in Triple-A Tacoma, where he hit an astounding five home runs, three triples and 10 doubles over his final 24 games.

“He’s a big league player,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “That’s why he’s here, and he made the plays. He did an outstanding job. And that’s not easy to do when it’s your first big league game.

“He was able to go out there and just be Cole Young. It’s just an outstanding ballgame for him and it led to a big win for us.”

Young, ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 43 overall prospect, was drafted by the Mariners as a first-round pick out of high school in 2022. He was highly productive at every level of the minors, all while being one of the youngest players at every stop.

Young was widely expected to reach the majors at some point this season. And after his recent tear in Tacoma, his promotion began to feel inevitable.

But still, Young was caught off-guard when he was pulled in the middle of Tacoma’s game on Friday night.

“Our manager came up to me after the third inning and he was like, you’re going to Seattle tomorrow,” Young said. “And I had him repeat it. I’m like, what? Because I couldn’t believe it. And then he told me (again).

“And so last night I didn’t sleep at all. I was just thinking about what would happen today.”

When Young came to the plate in the 11th inning, the winning run was on third with one out. He fell into an early hole, fouling off three of the first four pitches from Minnesota reliever Cole Sands.

Young then got his bat on a 1-2 splitter and sent a one-out chopper to former Mariners first baseman Ty France. France barehanded the ball and threw home, but Mastrobuoni slid in safely.

It was actually stunningly identical to Young’s walkoff on Thursday night in Tacoma, when he hit a high chopper to first that plated the winning run for the Rainiers.

“It was like the same exact hit, which is crazy,” Young said. “I’m just glad I put the ball in play and good things happen.”

After his walkoff on Saturday, Young was mobbed by his new teammates in shallow left field. Meanwhile, his family and friends celebrated from the T-Mobile Park stands, along with some 37,000 other ecstatic Mariners fans.

“I still haven’t wrapped my head around the game,” Young said, “but it’s been an unreal 24 hours.”

More on the Seattle Mariners

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• Cole Young to make MLB debut, start at 2B for Seattle Mariners
• Three reasons behind the Seattle Mariners’ May swoon
• Seattle Mariners prospect Harry Ford continues tear with massive HR
• Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh details his key improvement at the plate

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SEATTLE — One of the Seattle Mariners most elite prospects will finally get a shot at the big leagues.

Top 100 prospect Cole Young was pulled in the fourth inning of a game between Seattle’s Triple-A affiliate, the Tacoma Rainiers, and the Salt Lake Bees on Friday. Speculation immediately ran rampant on the reasoning. MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer confirmed soon after the Mariners are calling up the 21-year-old middle infielder.

A subsequent report from Seattle Times’ reporter Adam Jude said that Young is expected to be in the lineup for a game between Seattle and the Minnesota Twins at 4:15 p.m. on Saturday.

Young (No. 46 MLB Pipeline top 100, No. 51 Baseball America top 100) was selected by the Mariners in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft. He’s in the middle of his first season in Triple-A, and has been one of the best hitters in the minor leagues this month.

In 26 games in May, Young has scored 28 runs and has hit 10 doubles, three triples and five home runs with 21 RBIs. He’s slashed .366/.467/.673 with a 1.140 OPS.

Young has scored 39 runs and has hit 13 doubles, five triples and five home runs with 26 RBIs in 54 games this season. He’s slashed .277/.392/.461 with an .853 OPS.

Young had an opportunity in spring training to break camp with Seattle as its starting second baseman, but an arm injury limited him to 12 Cactus League games — six as a designated hitter and another half-dozen at second base. The starting position went to eventual starter Ryan Bliss, who’s out for the season recovering from surgery to repair a left bicep tear.

Young has been considered the team’s second baseman of the future for years. And whether he struggles or succeed in his first stint in the majors, he’ll have a long length of time to prove the organization’s expectations of him right.

MARINERS COLLAPSE IN 10TH INNING, LOSE 12-6 TO TWINS: The Mariners let up six or more earned runs in extras for the second day in a row on Friday and lost the lead in the American League West. CLICK HERE

FORMER MARINERS ALL-STAR TY FRANCE RETURNS TO SEATTLE FOR FIRST TIME SINCE BEING TRADED: First baseman Ty France will be suiting up for the Minnesota Twins on Friday in his first game back in Seattle since being dealt by the Mariners in 2024. CLICK HERE

PITCHING MATCHUPS FOR SERIES BETWEEN MARINERS, TWINS: One of the Mariners’ starting pitchers will return to the fold for a crucial American League matchup. CLICK HERE

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The Seattle Seahawks received high marks for their 2025 NFL Draft class last month, with numerous analysts praising their mix of need-filling picks, high-upside swings and overall value.

But there’s also another area where Seattle’s draft class stands out.

Why Schlereth differs from national perception of Seahawks

According to Pro Football Focus, the Seahawks compiled the most experienced draft class in terms of total college snaps. Seattle’s 11-player draft class logged a combined 22,970 snaps over the course of their college careers, which was the most of any team in the league.

And it wasn’t just because the Seahawks were tied with four other teams for the most players drafted. Seattle’s class had an average of 2,088 college snaps per player, which ranked fifth-most in the league.

The Seahawks drafted six players with at least 2,300 snaps: first-round offensive lineman Grey Zabel (2,776), second-round safety Nick Emmanwori (2,341), fifth-round wide receiver Tory Horton (2,370), sixth-round offensive lineman Bryce Cabeldue (3,060), seventh-round offensive lineman Mason Richman (3,050) and seventh-round wide receiver Ricky White III (2,447).

Does all of that cumulative experience mean anything for the Seahawks going forward?

Former NFL quarterback Brock Huard thinks so. During Friday’s Blue 88 segment on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, Huard said it can help the Seahawks’ rookies acclimate to the schemes of head coach Mike Macdonald and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.

“I do think when it comes to Mike Macdonald’s defensive system, when it comes to Klint Kubiak’s offensive system, do you know what is very beneficial in teaching all of the intricacies, all of the calls, all of the steps, all of the details?” Huard said. “Experiences.

“When you’ve been there and you’ve done it, there is no substitute for it. So I love it. I’ve clamored for that for a lot of years. … And the Seahawks checked those boxes many times over in this draft class.”

Listen to the full Blue 88 segment at this link or in the audio player at the bottom of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• Schlereth: Seahawks WR Cooper Kupp ‘like having an extra tight end’
• What we learned from Seahawks QB Sam Darnold on Rich Eisen Show
• Brock: A pivotal trait for Seattle Seahawks’ O-line position battles
• Salk: Seattle Seahawks’ defense isn’t elite, but a trade could change that
• An early Seattle Seahawks 53-man roster projection for 2025

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