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Walk-off HR a 'huge relief' for Seattle Mariners DH Mitch Garver

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Walk-off HR a 'huge relief' for Seattle Mariners DH Mitch Garver


The start to Mitch Garver’s tenure with the Seattle Mariners has been frustrating for the right-handed slugger.

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Through his first 24 games, Garver is slashing a meager .143/.256/.273 with three home runs and seven RBIs. Not exactly what Garver or the Mariners envisioned when he signed a two-year, $24 million deal in the offseason to become the team’s primary designed hitter, a position the Mariners have mightily struggled at since the departure of Nelson Cruz after the 2018 season.

With one swing of the bat – and an 80-grade bat flip that followed – Garver appeared to let some of that frustration go, belting a walk-off two-run home run against the Atlanta Braves on Monday night. Just how good did that moment feel for Garver? He joined Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob on Tuesday for a conversation about that and more.

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“It felt good to have that moment,” Garver said. “I had a few home runs before this, I’ve been collecting a few knocks here and there, but to have that moment where I could lift the team up and prove to help us win a ball game was a huge relief for me. And it was just that moment where I could take a deep breath and be like, ‘all right, I’m a Mariner. Let’s let this thing ride out.’”

Garver came to Seattle with a track record of hitting at a high level. He mashed 31 home runs in just 93 games in 2019 with an OPS of .995 and an OPS+ of 157, both career bests on his way to winning the Silver Slugger at designated hitter, which he split with Cruz. He also posted an OPS of .870 or higher during the 2021 and 2023 seasons. So hitting has never been a big issue during his career. Like other offseason additions Jorge Polanco and Luke Raley, it just hasn’t been a quick start at the plate for Garver in a Mariners uniform.

“There’s always this desire to try to prove why the Mariners acquired you,” Garver said of joining a new team. “You want to make the fanbase happy, you want to make the team happy, you want to do as much as you can for your teammates and coaches and clubhouse staff, and you always want to make a great impression. I think trying to do more than just who you are as a baseball player is a little detrimental at times.”

Garver said the key to getting past that is trying to “reel it back” and remember there’s a reason a team put in the effort to acquire you. Does Garver think Monday’s clutch home run is going to be what gets his bat back to normal? It’s not that simple.

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“This game is such a process,” he said. “Some days you have it, some days you don’t. You could go out and get three, four hits and you can go (hitless) the next day. It’s such a brutal game and it keeps you humble. I’d like to say that things are going to start clicking here and I’ll continue to hit the ball hard and maybe I’ll find a few holes and that average will start ticking up a little bit. But at the end of the day, we’re playing winning baseball right now.”

Speaking of winning baseball, the Mariners entered Tuesday sitting atop the AL West at 16-13 with one-game lead over Garver’s former team. The veteran DH thinks the team is just beginning to tap in to its potential.

“We’re in first place and we haven’t even peaked yet,” Garver said. “The pitching staff has been holding us together, but the offense is going to turn around. We’re going to score some runs, we’re going to strike out less, but there’s going to be some ebbs and flows throughout the season. I think we’re in a pretty good spot if our heads are above water right now and we’re not hitting like we know how.”

Tune in to Wyman and Bob weekdays from 2-6 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

More on the Seattle Mariners

• Mitch Garver’s walkoff homer lifts Mariners over Braves 2-1
• In return to Seattle, Braves’ Kelenic says he’s learned from past struggles
• Drayer: Why Mariners are sending Jonatan Clase back to Triple-A
• AL West Check-In: Angels star Mike Trout to have knee surgery
• AL West Check-In: Astros sending down former MVP José Abreu

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Kraken Extend Streak In Comeback OT Loss | Seattle Kraken

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Kraken Extend Streak In Comeback OT Loss | Seattle Kraken


And while Dunn’s head coach insisted afterwards he doesn’t believe in “measuring stick games” the Kraken measured up fairly well in this one considering they played a pretty poor first period and needed half of the second frame to get any type of offense going against the league’s No. 2 defensive unit.

But they eventually got it going and the salvaged point, as Dunn mentioned, was huge in that it allowed the Kraken to remain in third place in the Pacific Division – just two points behind leaders Vegas and Edmonton – as they now embark on a five-city road trip. They extended their points streak to 10 games in the process, going 8-0-2 that stretch to transform a season hinging on the brink.

Mats Zuccarello got the overtime winner for Minnesota, converting a Kirill Kaprizov pass off a 2-on-1 break after the Kraken had been foiled just moments prior on their own odd-man rush. That foiled an outstanding night for Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer, who’d made several huge stops in both overtime and the third period to keep things tied, as well as prior to that frame to give his team the shot at a comeback.

The Kraken had spent the past week filling opposition nets with pucks but waited until the final 17 minutes to score their first goal of this game. By that point, they’d been trailing 2-0 since a pair of 42-foot wrist shot goals by Ryan Hartman and Brock Faber in the first period silenced the home crowd.

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“The first period was awful, and our execution was probably the biggest part of that,” Dunn said. “It’s just tough when you’re chasing the game a little bit to start the game. So, we kind of set ourselves up for the second period to come out and play the right way and I thought as the game went on, we got a lot better.

“And I thought it was a pretty competitive game both ways. A lot of chances both ways.”

Grubauer kept things close from there, stopping 31 of 34 shots on the night to give his team a chance to get back in it.

Adam Larsson then got the Kraken on the board three minutes into the final period with a slap shot goal from the right circle after Dunn had rung one off the post on a prior blast seconds earlier. And the Kraken weren’t done yet.

The Wild ran into penalty trouble not long after and the Kraken capitalized on the power play with Matty Beniers banging home a net front rebound off a Jared McCann shot that lifted the home side into a 2-2 tie and sent the Climate Pledge Arena crowd into a frenzy.

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Valter Walker vs. Marcin Tybura booked for UFC Seattle

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Valter Walker vs. Marcin Tybura booked for UFC Seattle


Heavyweights will collide in “Rain City.”

MMAmania.com confirmed with multiple sources today (Thurs., Jan. 8, 2026) that No. 10-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight Marcin Tybura will take on surging Brazilian prospect Valter Walker at UFC Seattle on Sat., March 28, 2026, inside Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington.

Walker (15-1) stumbled out of the gate in his UFC debut, suffering a loss to Lukasz Brzeski in 2024. Since then, however, “Clean Monster” has completely rewritten the narrative — and the UFC record books.

Walker opened 2025 by submitting Don’Tale Mayes with a heel hook (watch highlights), his second straight victory via the technique. Five months later, he followed it up with another first-round heel hook against Kennedy Nzechukwu (watch highlights), setting a new UFC record for most consecutive heel hook submission wins with three.

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But he wasn’t finished.

At UFC 321 in Oct. 2025, Walker once again locked in a first-round heel hook — this time against Louie Sutherland — tying Rousimar Palhares for the most heel hook submissions (four) in UFC history while extending his own record for consecutive heel hook finishes (watch it).

A win in Seattle would almost certainly vault Walker into the Top 10 of the Heavyweight rankings.

Tybura (27-10), meanwhile, will be defending his No. 10 spot when he steps into the cage. The Polish veteran went 1-1 in 2025, handing highly touted U.K. prospect Mick Parkin his first professional loss at UFC London before suffering a quick knockout loss to debuting Ante Delija at UFC Paris (watch highlights), snapping a two-fight win streak.

Now 40 years old, Tybura is 5-3 over his last eight appearances.

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Here are some other bouts currently scheduled for UFC Seattle:

Casey O’Neill vs. Gabriella Fernandes

Alexa Grasso vs. Maycee Barber

Nicolle Caliari vs. Carol Fiori

To checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events click here.

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Around 200 protest fatal ICE shooting in front of Seattle’s federal building

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Around 200 protest fatal ICE shooting in front of Seattle’s federal building


There were at least 200 protesters that showed up in Seattle Wednesday night in what speakers called an “emergency protest” in response to the fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis Wednesday.

“We want justice, we want peace, we want justice, we want peace, we want ICE off our streets, we want ice off our streets…” they chanted.

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Seattle protest on fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis

Seattle protesters outside the Federal Building following a fatal shooting by ICE agents in Minneapolis. (FOX 13 Seattle)

After listening to speakers, protesters went on the march and circled the blocks near the Federal Building in Seattle.

Though the protest was organized on short notice, some protesters say they were compelled to come out Wednesday with urgency because they felt what happened in Minneapolis was a bridge too far.

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What they’re saying:

“ICE has gone too far. We’ve felt this, we’ve known this for a long time. There have been people protesting,” said Raleigh Watts, protesting the ICE shooting. “We’ve been hearing the news. Today I came out because when I heard, it was my sign that a line has been crossed that I can’t stand anymore. So, I’ve come to say, ‘No ICE, you’ve gone too far’.”

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“A lot of people out here are really, really angry, confused and sad, but I think we have what it takes to fight back,” said Sophia Van Beek, protesting the MN ICE shooting. “I’m certain there are going to be actions.”

Sophia says in order to make a difference, protesters need to create an actionable political program.

Seattle protest on fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis

Seattle protest on fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis

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Members of law enforcement were in the area and helped to block off the streets during the protest and march. There were no clashes during this protest and it wrapped up at around 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. 

“I am proud of all the hundreds of people who have turned out tonight at the federal building in Seattle. I’m proud of the people who are in Tacoma that are protesting at the ice detention center and in Minneapolis and in cities across the country. This is not okay for ICE to kill somebody,” said Watts.

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What’s next:

Some people at Wednesday’s demonstration said they were planning to organize more protests in the coming weeks.

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The Source: Information in this story came from original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.

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