If you ask starters Matthew Liberatore and Bryan Woo, Saturday’s Cardinals versus Mariners game did not go according to plan as both teams launched 8 home runs in total, but Seattle ended up with more runs on the scoreboard winning 11-9.
Seattle, WA
Seattle Mariners Win a Home Run Derby vs St. Louis Cardinals 11-9
The Seattle Mariners struck first when Julio Rodriguez crushed a ball into Big Mac Land after Cal Raleigh singled giving the Mariners a 2-0 lead. That lead didn’t last long as JJ Wetherholt turned on the 2nd pitch he saw and hit a no-doubt home run into the right field stands for his first-ever leadoff homer.
The very next pitch would also become a souvenir, this time in the left field stands, as Ivan Herrera also went yard tying the game at 2-2.
The 2nd inning was equally exciting as Garver reached on an infield single for the Mariners and he scored when Will Wilson hit a 2-run shot making it 4-2 Seattle. That lead was cut in half in the bottom of the 2nd inning when Nathan Church turned a Bryan Woo pitch into an extra ball for the St. Louis Cardinals bullpen to play around with.
The Cardinals pulled even in the bottom of the 3rd inning when Jordan Walker lined a hard single to right field followed by Nolan Gorman doing the same. Walker would score on a bloop single by Masyn Winn that likely should have been a double as the ball landed just barely fair and then bounced up against the netting and then falling back into the field of play. Winn thought it was a ground rule double but the ground rules said it was a live ball. Fortunately Nolan Gorman did advance to third on the play and then he scored on a sacrifice fly by Nathan Church giving the Cardinals the lead 5-4. Winn would score on a 2-run home run by Pedro Pagés who yanked a ball just to the right of the left field foul pole making it 7-4 St. Louis.
Batting practice would continue into the 4th inning when Cole Young (you guessed it) hit a home run to draw the Mariners closer at 7-5 which inspired manager Oli Marmol to bring in Gordon Graceffo with just one out in the 4th inning. Matthew Liberatore’s line for the day was a mere 3 1/3 innings giving up 8 hits including 3 that left the yard and 5 earned runs. Graceffo was able to shut down Seattle by getting Cal Raleigh to hit into a double play. Woo was pulled after just three innings giving up 9 hits and 7 earned runs. He was replaced by Ferrer who started the Cardinals part of the 4th inning allowing a hit to JJ Wetherholt and then hit Ivan Herrera with a pitch, but Burleson, Walker and Gorman were unable to add to the Cardinals lead.
Seattle would reduce the St. Louis lead to just one in the top of the 5th inning when Rodriquez reached on a bloop single. He stole second and was then moved over to third on a ground out to the right side by Naylor. Randy Arozarena brought him in on a sacrifice fly to center making it 7-6 Cardinals. The Mariners would nearly tie the game with one out in the top of the 6th inning when Garver would hit a ball off of reliever George Soriano that would have cleared the left field wall if not for the heroic effort of Nathan Church who made an amazing grab. Young would hit a double high off the center field wall over Victor Scott II and he would score on a single by Wilson tying the game 7-7.
Nathan Church would untie the game in the bottom of the 7th inning when he slammed his second home run of the game after Masyn Winn singled to left giving the Cardinals a 9-7 lead.
Pedro Pagés would leave the game with possible hamstring trouble after beating out an infield single after Church’s home run.
JoJo Romero got into all kinds of trouble in the 8th inning giving up singles to Young and Garver. Rivas laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to third to move both of them over. Marmol then brought in Riley O’Brien to try and slam the door on the Mariners, but instead the door flung wide open when Connor Joe singled them both in tying the game 9-9. O’Brien would also give up a single to Julio Rodriguez making it first and third for the Mariners, but he would get Naylor to fly out to deep right to end the top of the 8th.
The bottom of the 8th inning was a strange one for Jordan Walker. After getting hit on the top of the hand by a pitch that looked painful, he was called out trying to steal 2nd base when he somehow failed to slide, but instead awkwardly stumbled over the base. The Cardinals appealed the call, but Walker did appear to get tagged during his epic non-slide maneuver.
The game would go off-the-rails for the Cardinals in the top of the 9th inning when the Mariners would load the bases on a bunt single by Crawford, a walk to Garver and a hit-by-pitch for Young. Rivas untied the game by singling off of Riley O’Brien giving Seattle an 11-9 lead. Matt Svanson was brought in to keep the Mariners from adding to their lead. He retired Connor Joe on a lineout to right center, but then walked Raleigh to load the bases again, but he was able to strikeout Rodriguez to close out the top of the 9th inning with no further damage done.
Seattle brought in their closer Andrés Muñoz to finish off the Cardinals in the bottom of the 9th. After walking Nolan Gorman, he struck out Masyn Winn and got a double-play getting Nathan Church to ground out as Nolan Gorman was tagged out to end the game.
The St. Louis Cardinals will try to salvage a game in the short homestand series versus the Mariners on Sunday as Michael McGreevy gets the start for St. Louis while Emerson Hancock will pitch for Seattle. First pitch scheduled for 1:15pm Sunday at Busch Stadium.
The Seattle Seahawks are the defending champions following a fantastic run in 2025 which resulted in the second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history. Despite this, they’re not the favorites to win their division in 2026.
Instead, the Los Angeles Rams are the hot team, thanks in large part to the addition of Myles Garrett. The two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year does give them a huge boost, but the Seahawks know they can still win their division once again.
Here we dive into three reasons to believe that will be the case for Mike Macdonald and his team.
3. Passing attack will be improved
With Klint Kubiak leaving to take the head coaching job with the Las Vegas Raiders, Brian Fleury is set to take over as the offensive coordinator in Seattle. Fleury spent the past seven years with the San Francisco 49ers and was most recently their run game coordinator and tight ends coach.
He’s expected to feature a run-heavy offense once again, but that doesn’t mean the Seahawks aerial attack won’t be a problem for opposing teams. With Sam Darnold entering his second season with the team, he’s going to have far more comfort with his teammates. As Seahawks On SI’s Russell Baxter wrote, he’s also unsatisfied with his performance in the Super Bowl and wants to improve in 2026.
His motivation, along with the presence of Jaxson Smith-Njigba is enough for the offense to be as dangerous as they were last year. Rashid Shaheed having a full offseason with the team is a reason to believe they can be even better.
2. The run game will be a strength once again
Losing Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III in free agency was a blow, but the Seahawks made sure to enter the new season with just as much firepower in the ground game. Even with Zach Charbonnet still recovering from a torn ACL, the Seahawks have a strong unit.
Led by rookie Jadarian Price, Seattle also has Emanuel Wilson and George Holani. There might not be many proven options, but as Seahawks On SI’s Michael Hanich writes, the coaching staff trusts this unit.
Offensive coordinator Brian Fleury had success leading the rushing attack in San Francisco last year and his defensive background has him favoring a more violent and punishing rushing attack. That will allow the Seahawks to wear teams down with the ground game, even without Walker.
1. Mike Macdonald continues to build the defense to fit his vision
During his first season as head coach, Mike Macdonald led Seattle to the 11th best scoring defense, which was a massive jump from 25th the prior year. They shot up the leaderboard again in 2025, finishing with the No. 1 scoring defense, which is what led the way during their title run.
Macdonald made those improvements by building the defense to his preference. They have trusted veterans on the defensive line and have built a strong nickel defense with defensive back Nick Emmanwori as one of his key pieces.
This offseason, he added another versatile defensive back in Bud Clark, a speedy pass-rusher in Dante Fowler Jr., and a big-bodied cornerback in Julian Neal. Macdonald also allowed Boye Mafe to leave while putting Derick Hall in position to take on a larger load. All these moves have given them a defense that Macdonald can turn into an even better one than we saw last year.
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SEATTLE — Seattle is preparing for one of its busiest weekends of the year as Pride celebrations and the FIFA World Cup converge across the city.
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend parades, festivals, concerts, and sporting events Friday through Sunday, with city officials encouraging people to plan ahead for street closures and use public transportation.
Pride weekend begins Friday with the FIFA World Cup Group G match between Egypt and Iran at Seattle Stadium.
ALSO SEE | Seattle Pride festivities to kick off with ‘Seattle Pride in the Park’ at Volunteer Park
Local organizers have designated the game as the tournament’s Pride Match Day, with community celebrations planned throughout the day. The designation has drawn objections from the Egyptian Football Association and the Iranian Football Federation, but local organizers say Pride events will move forward as planned.
Saturday’s events include Trans Pride Seattle at Volunteer Park, one of the nation’s largest transgender Pride celebrations, along with PrideFest Capitol Hill, which will transform Broadway and Cal Anderson Park into a daylong street festival featuring live music, food vendors, artists, and community organizations.
The ticketed Queer/Pride Festival will also continue throughout the weekend on Capitol Hill.
RELATED | FIFA to allow rainbow flags at Egypt-Iran World Cup ‘Pride Match’ in Seattle
The weekend culminates on Sunday with the Seattle Pride Parade, which begins at 11 a.m. along Fourth Avenue in downtown Seattle before ending near Seattle Center. Following the parade, PrideFest Seattle Center will feature live entertainment, food vendors, beer gardens, and community exhibitors through the afternoon and evening.
Seattle Pride traces its roots to 1974 and has grown into one of the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ celebrations, drawing hundreds of thousands of people each year.
Officials are urging attendees to expect heavy crowds and traffic throughout downtown and Capitol Hill, particularly on Sunday.
Organizers recommend using the Link light rail, buses, or other forms of public transportation whenever possible.
Pre-Match Coverage on Seattle News Tonight
Getting home from the match
Friday night travel times
Traffic remains light before kickoff
Iranian protesters linger outside stadium
Almost an hour until kickoff
Pre-match crowds piling in
Pioneer Square pedestrian zone to last until midnight
Fans gathering outside Seattle Stadium
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