Today was the much-anticipated debut of Mariners pitching prospect Kade Anderson, but it was a more familiar face who stole the show. Randy Arozarena bookeneded the game with a pair of homers, peppering in a dramatic home run robbery and a clutch infield single, to deliver the Mariners an improbable 5-4 win, meanwhile racking up one of the highest WPAs I’ve ever seen for a position player in a single game: 1.08. It’s not Brandon Crawford’s seven-hit game from 2016, but it’s gotta be up there. Arozarena,
in his free agency year, is having his best season by wRC+ as a big-league regular: 138 before today’s game is factored in. He’s been the most valuable Mariner in 2026 offensively, and has contributed to more than his fair share of wins while the rest of the team has struggled through injury and doldrums. He’s also been the author of more than his fair share of miscues, some outfield defense that at times looks indifferent, and an occasional inattention (like missing the team photo) that makes you wonder what planet Randy is living on.
The answer: Planet Randy. It’s Randy’s planet. And like Taylor Swift, he makes the rules. Today, Randy decided to orbit himself directly in front of what looked like a surefire Cubs win, repelling Chicago and their hefty dose of fans packed into a sellout crowd at T-Mobile Park and instead delivering the Mariners a series win. It might have been Kade Anderson Bump Day, but it was Randy Arozarena Precession Day (this is a science term that my science friend says means when a planet bumps how it spins on its axis. I am assured the joke works.).
Kade Anderson was as advertised in the first inning, living around the strike zone and challenging hitters. He got his first big-league out on his first big-league pitch, tempting Pete Crow-Armstrong into making weak contact on a well-located heater for an easy pop out. He struggled a little after that with locating the curve, and got into a long battle with Alex Bregman before getting him to chase after a changeup for his first big-league strikeout:
With the warm-up act out of the way, it was time for Planet Randy to take the stage. Arozarena gave his rookie pitcher some run support right away, jumping on the first pitch he saw from lefty David Peterson and driving it into a packed T-Mobile ‘Pen: 105.3 mph and 416 feet for Randy’s 18th on the season.
The only bad thing about that homer is that Brendan Donovan, the Mariners’ best OBP threat currently, wasn’t on ahead of him, as Donovan was a late scratch after being [consults Big Book of 2026 Mariners Curses]…hmm… hit in the head by a baseball pregame in the cages. No one mentioned that when we acquired Donovan we were getting the 27th Gashlycrumb Tiny.
Randy continued to snatch the glory on Anderson’s debut day with an amazing home run robbery in the third. In a 1-0 count, nine-hole hitter righty Miguel Amaya turned on an inside fastball, looking to loop it over the short fence in left. He would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn’t for that meddling Randy:
Postgame, Randy talked about how every time he robs a home run like this, he flashes back to his viral moment robbing a home run in the WBC back in 2023. This one I think is a more impressive snag, going over the wall, but it must necessarily come second to the WBC robbery, even though he says they’re both very special to him.
Randy then followed that up by working a one-out walk in the bottom of the third, but unfortunately was left straded at third by his free-swinging linemates, as Canzone and Julio each went down swinging, Julio on three straight pitches. Please, Brendan Donovan, our OBP, it’s very sick, come back.
Meanwhile, Anderson continued to fight through his first big-league start. Nothing looked particularly easy for Anderson, although he showed flashes of brilliance as he collected five strikeouts, at times showing the exciting ability to coax ugly swings from hitters he showed in the minors, and other times struggling to land his stuff in the zone. Particularly missing today was his big curveball, which seemed to sail up. This is just a lot more spray than a typical Anderson outing. Note the high curves (blue), the inconsistent location of the changeup, and the spray on the fastball (red). (NB: a bunch of these that Statcast labeled sliders are actually curveballs; you can check back tomorrow for an updated chart when they’ve fixed the issue.)
For his part, Anderson was clear-eyed about what he did and what he wants to do better the next time.
“I felt like early on I did a good job of getting in the zone. Lost it a little bit in the middle, but there’s always going to be something to build on. I felt like I didn’t have my best stuff today, but I gave the team a chance to win. Winning in the big leagues is a lot different than in the minor leagues. In the big leagues, all that matters is winning. Doesn’t matter what the stat book is. I just want to go out there and give the team an opportunity to win.”
The Mariners helped out their rookie by adding on in the fifth. Weston Wilson, fresh off a stellar double play turn to end the top of the inning, started things off with a line-drive single. Peterson then hit Leo Rivas, who was attempting to bunt, and then Planet Randy made an appearance in the early evening sky, beating out an infield single to load the bases with no outs. The Mariners did get a run out of this, as Dominic Canzone hit into what looked to be a double play but was able to beat out a poor turn by the Cubs, but Julio then struck out chasing after a changeup away, and Naylor also couldn’t deliver in a left-on-left matchup, swinging through a sinker that should have been in his hit zone.
That would turn out to be costly, because Anderson couldn’t dodge the Cubs offense after that. He started the sixth by giving up a double to Pete Crow-Armstrong, serving him a fastball middle-middle that thankfully stayed in the park. Even more thankfully, the Mariners defense again came to his rescue after that, catching PCA off second in a double play neatly turned by Wilson – Naylor – Young. But with two outs and the momentum seemingly on the Mariners’ side, Anderson left a first-pitch changeup right on the plate for Alex Bregman to destroy for a game-tying home run. Maybe, and I’m just spitballing here, but maybe Mariners fans could stop booing Bregman every time he comes to town. He’s a tiny angry creature fueled by spite and haters being his waiters and eats your boos like power-ups.
Dan Wilson gave Anderson another chance to get out of it and end his outing with some hope, but once again, Anderson didn’t execute a first-pitch slider that Michael Busch tattooed into center for a go-ahead homer. Welcome to the big leagues, kid. Wilson caught a lot of flack, both in-house and nationally (the curse of a national broadcast), for the decision to leave Anderson in. Wilson explained that the goal was to get Anderson up around 80-85 pitches, and once he had the two outs, the hope was he’d be able to finish off the inning, noting they still liked how he was throwing the ball, despite the leadoff double to PCA. Anderson’s unflappable demeanor and mound presence also swayed Wilson to keep Anderson – no stranger to pitching in big moments at the College World Series – in the game.
“I think he takes a lot of positives away from today,” said Wilson. “For a debut, it was just so impressive the way he handled it all, and the poise he showed.”
For Anderson, trying to get through the sixth was important to him to try to contribute to a team win – after all, solo homers aren’t supposed to kill you.
“Every out matters,” said Anderson. “The wins matter, and to be able to save the bullpen every chance you get matters, and every out matters. I’m really grateful that I got to go on through the sixth. It could have gone better, but at the end of the day, we got the win, and that’s all that matters.”
“The team was counting on me for a big game today. These games matter, especially as the season is getting shorter and shorter. I understood that going in. Obviously, it’s a big day for me, but it’s an even bigger day for this organization.”
Carlos Vargas, making his first appearance after missing all season on the IL, came in to try to stop the bleeding and instead gave up another run, partially not his fault (BABIP’d by a chip shot weakly hit double by Nico Hoerner) and partially his fault (a slider at the top of the zone for a ground-rule RBI double). To be nice to Vargas: he did open the seventh with a leadoff walk (bad Vargas!) but retired his next three hitters with two strikeouts to close up the inning tidily. Vargas sprayed the sinker around pretty badly but was able to land some pretty good sliders and placed a few well-located cutters; he’ll get a lot of heat because of giving up the extra run in the sixth and, you know, because he’s Carlos Vargas, but overall this was a solid first outing for someone who hasn’t pitched all year. The circumstances he made it under are not his fault.
With the Mariners scuffling against Peterson and unable to score against old friend Trent Thornton, it seemed like the writing was on the wall in the bottom of the ninth with two outs. Credit Weston Wilson, who didn’t hear no bell, for lacing a double off a pretty terrible pitch from Jacob Webb into the happy gap of right-center. Wilson is another one who has been a bit of a lightning rod for fan angst, but he quietly had a great game despite being told he was going to play about ten minutes before the game started, with a pair of really nice double play turns, the leadoff single that led to a run in the fifth, and this last-gasp double. Webb then made a crucial error, hitting Leo Rivas with a pitch (for the second time in the game! Please, our boy just got over a terrible case of vertigo, stop hitting him!), which flipped the lineup around to [studies sky] oh will you look at that. Planet Randy in the 9th house. Astrological forecast says: 100% chance of game-winning dingers.
I saw this happen live with my own eyes and I still can’t believe this happened.
“He put a really good swing on it,” said Dan Wilson. “Didn’t roll over on it, didn’t try to do too much, just drove that ball to center field, stayed on it and stayed through it. And good things happen when you take that approach.”
“I think if Randy were playing hockey, he’d get a plus-four,” said Wilson, a rare little window into Planet Dan, if we’re being honest.
Postgame Ryan Divish asked Randy if he thought PCA had a chance to pay the favor back and rob the homer. “Haha, no,” said Randy, and gathered his keys and wallet and left the room. Sui generis Randy, fully and only himself, subject only to his own gravitational force but somehow also able to alter the vector of a game.
