Stewart's Three-Run Blast Flips the Script in Seattle

Sal Stewart hit a 369-foot, three-run homer to right center in the seventh inning that swung the win probability from 77% in Seattle's favor to 23% — a 54-point swing that decided this game. Cincinnati walked out of Seattle with a 5-3 final, powered by two home runs and a pitching staff that held things together long enough for the offense to deliver.

Seattle looked like it had this one in hand after a wild fourth inning. Naylor scored in the second on a Raleigh single to right to put the Mariners up 1-0, and things got chaotic in the fourth. Bleday answered with a 396-foot shot to right to tie it, and Myers followed with an infield single to second that scored Stephenson and gave Cincinnati a 2-1 lead. Seattle punched right back — Raley singled to center, scoring both Arozarena and Naylor to flip it 3-2 Seattle. Four runs in one inning, lead changes in both directions, and the Mariners sitting on top heading into the middle frames.

Then came the seventh, and Stewart ended the conversation. With Arroyo and Hayes on base, Stewart turned on a pitch and drove it 369 feet to right center, scoring both runners and putting Cincinnati ahead 5-3. That was the ballgame. The win probability had been sitting at 77% for Seattle before that at-bat — it collapsed to 23% the moment the ball left the yard. Stewart finished 1-for-4 with a home run, 3 RBI, and a run scored. That's the kind of line that wins road games.

On the mound, the story of the night was Brady Singer doing enough without being dominant. He went 6.2 innings, allowing 6 hits and 3 earned runs while striking out 6 and walking 1 — a workable outing that kept Cincinnati in striking distance. Emerson Hancock gave Seattle a quality start with 6.0 innings, 5 hits, 2 earned runs, and 3 strikeouts, but the bullpen couldn't protect the lead. Cole Wilcox was sharp in relief, tossing 2.0 scoreless innings with 2 strikeouts, but the damage was already done by then. Brock Burke closed it out for Cincinnati with 1.1 scoreless innings. Arroyo went 2-for-3 with a run scored, and Myers added 2 hits and an RBI to round out a balanced Cincinnati attack that looks, at least tonight, like a team that knows how to win on the road.