Mariners' Garver Stuns Braves with Walk-Off Blast in Low-Scoring Duel

In a classic pitcher’s duel that had the makings of a no-hit battle deep into the late innings, the Seattle Mariners and Atlanta Braves engaged in an intense, low-scoring affair Monday night. But it was Mitch Garver who ultimately stole the show, crushing a dramatic two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the 9th to lift the Mariners to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Braves.

The game was a masterclass in pitching excellence from the very first pitch. Seattle’s Bryce Miller and Atlanta’s Max Fried were simply untouchable through the first six innings, with neither team able to muster a hit against the two starters’ overpowering stuff.

It was Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. who finally broke through the no-hit tension in the 7th, slapping an infield single and immediately making his presence felt on the basepaths. Acuña swiped second and third in his trademark blur of speed, eventually coming around to score on Ozzie Albies’ double for a 1-0 Atlanta lead.

But the Mariners refused to go quietly in front of their home crowd. After Braves reliever Joe Jimenez danced out of a bases-loaded jam in the 8th to preserve the narrow lead, Seattle finally struck in the 9th.

Jorge Polanco got things started with a leadoff single against Atlanta closer A.J. Minter to bring the red-hot Garver to the plate. On a 3-2 cutter, Garver unloaded – launching a no-doubt laser beam an estimated 412 feet over the fence in left-center to send the T-Mobile Park faithful into delirium.

“I was just trying to get a pitch out over the plate that I could handle,” Garver said. “Minter’s stuff is so nasty, you have to be ready to hit whenever you get that one mistake. Luckily for us, he left that cutter up a bit and I was able to put a good swing on it.”

The dramatic blast made a winner out of Mariners reliever Diego Castillo and capped off a simply brilliant night on the mound for both teams. Miller exited after 7 brilliant innings, allowing just the 1 run on 2 hits while racking up 10 strikeouts.

Fried was equally impressive, firing 6 no-hit frames and striking out 7 before giving way to Atlanta’s bullpen in the hard-luck loss.

While Garver undoubtedly played the role of hero with his walk-off blast, the true stars of this one were the starting pitchers who had the two potent lineups baffled and bewildered for much of the evening.

In the end, it was one swing by Seattle’s clutch catcher that decided an intense opening battle between two playoff contenders engaged in an early-season pitching exhibition for the ages.