Mariners 5, Twins 3: Cole Young Delivers the Ninth-Inning Rally

The lead

April 29, 2026 - Minneapolis - The Seattle Mariners spent most of Wednesday afternoon chasing the Minnesota Twins, then won the game in the inning that mattered most. Cole Young drove in three late runs, including the go-ahead two-run single in the ninth, and Seattle beat Minnesota 5-3 to win the series.

Young also tied the game with a two-out double in the seventh. J.P. Crawford homered. Andres Munoz pitched a perfect ninth for his sixth save in seven chances. The win moved Seattle to 16-16, back to .500 for the first time since April 3.

How the game turned

Minnesota led through the middle innings because Brooks Lee delivered a two-out, two-run single off George Kirby in the fourth. The Twins had more chances, but they did not put the Mariners away. That left the game close enough for Young to change it.

Crawford homered in the third to give Seattle an early run. In the seventh, Young came up with two outs and doubled home the tying run, making it 2-2 after Taj Bradley had mostly controlled the game for Minnesota.

The Twins took the lead back in the eighth. Victor Caratini came off the bench and hit a pinch-hit single with two outs, scoring the go-ahead run against Gabe Speier. That inning also got messy for Seattle because Matt Brash left after two pitches as a precaution with side discomfort. Cooper Criswell entered with the bases loaded and got the final out, keeping the Mariners within one.

That out set up the ninth. Eric Orze faced five batters and retired only one. Young reached for an outside pitch and slapped it in front of the mound, just past Orze and beyond a diving Luke Keaschall with the infield drawn in. Two runs scored, Seattle moved ahead, and the Mariners added another run before Munoz closed it.

Pitching and matchup notes

Bradley deserved a better ending for Minnesota. He threw seven innings, allowed four hits and two walks, and struck out seven. It was his fourth quality start in seven turns, and he left with the Twins in position to win.

The problem was the bullpen. Minnesota entered the day with a 5.13 relief ERA, one of the worst marks in the majors, and the late innings followed that pattern. Seattle scored three in the ninth after tying the game in the seventh, turning a strong start into another frustrating loss.

Kirby was not dominant, but he kept Seattle within reach. The Twins' larger problem was missed chances. ESPN and AP coverage noted that Minnesota went 3-for-22 with runners in scoring position while losing the final two games of the series.

Bats that changed the board

Young's late-inning line was the difference. He delivered the tying hit and the go-ahead hit, and AP noted that the 22-year-old was batting .383 with 10 RBI over his last 47 at-bats entering the end of the game story. The Mariners needed a younger bat to meet the moment, and Young did it twice.

Crawford's homer mattered because it gave Seattle an early run before Bradley settled in. The Mariners did not have a huge offensive day by total hits, finishing with seven, but they got the hits that changed leverage.

For Minnesota, Lee and Caratini had the run-scoring swings. The Twins simply needed one more hit in one of their traffic innings, and that never came.

AthX Engine fantasy angle

Seattle ranked sixth on the Apr. 29 AthX Engine team board with 10 team FP. Young posted 9 AthX Engine hitting FP, tied for one of the better hitter totals of the slate. Crawford also had a strong fantasy profile because the homer gave Seattle early scoring before Young took over late.

This game is a useful reminder that AthX Engine daily value is not only about blowouts. The Mariners did not post 13 or 14 runs like Colorado or Washington, but late run creation, a comeback, and a clean Munoz save gave Seattle one of the more interesting trader stories of the day. Daily fantasy scoring is separate from dynamic pricing.

What comes next

Seattle heads home to open a series with Kansas City on Friday. Minnesota stays home to start a four-game series against Toronto. The Twins have enough starting pitching to steady themselves, but the bullpen and runners-in-scoring-position numbers are becoming hard to ignore. For Seattle, Young's ninth-inning swing gave the club a series win and a .500 reset.

*Sources: MLB.com schedule, MLB Gameday, ESPN/AP coverage, theScore/AP coverage, and AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*