The Seattle Mariners secured a narrow 5-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox at T-Mobile Park on May 20, with backup catcher Jhonny Pereda hitting his first career home run in the seventh inning. The win helped the Mariners clinch the series after a difficult homestand.
The game was marked by late-inning tension as the White Sox scored runs in both the eighth and ninth innings, threatening to overturn Seattle’s lead. Randy Arozarena contributed a two-run home run that provided crucial insurance for the Mariners.
“That was so special,” Pereda said. “As soon as I hit the ball, I was like, ‘Oh my god, my first homer!’ I couldn’t believe it.”
Manager Dan Wilson addressed recent struggles and emphasized consistency: “The priority here is to get us playing our consistent baseball,” Wilson said, “and getting out and feeling like every night, we’re putting the [at-bats] up, we’re getting the pitching we want, and getting into a little bit of a flow and a bit of a rhythm.”
Relievers Eduard Bazardo and José A. Ferrer were called upon to secure outs in high-pressure situations late in the game. Ferrer gave up a leadoff home run but recovered to strike out three batters in succession to end the contest. “Not an easy inning by any stretch,” Wilson said about Ferrer’s performance.
Seattle’s bullpen received reinforcements with Matt Brash returning from injury; he pitched a scoreless seventh inning after being activated earlier that day. Gabe Speier also began his rehab assignment at High-A Everett.
Starting pitcher Emerson Hancock lasted five innings for Seattle and allowed two runs but managed to escape trouble early after loading the bases with no outs in the first inning without giving up any runs.
With this win, Seattle improved its record when hitting at least one home run this season.
