Mariners collapse late as Andres Munoz blows 3-run lead in loss to Twins

Adam Jude, The Seattle Times on May 31, 2025

Published in Baseball

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

SEATTLE — In a stunning collapse for the Seattle Mariners, Andrés Muñoz surrendered three runs with two outs in the ninth inning, and old nemesis Carlos Correa hit a two-run homer on the first pitch of the 10th inning put the finishing touches on the Minnesota Twins 12-6 come-from-behind win late Friday.

The Mariners were 25-0 this season when leading after eight inning.

The Mariners (30-26) have lost three in a row and they fell out of first place for the first time since April 25.

Cal Raleigh’s historic power surge hit another milestone when he launched two more home runs to take over the American League lead. Raleigh’s second blast, a two-run shot crushed out to right field, gave the Mariners a 6-3 lead.

That three-run cushion appeared to be plenty of wiggle for Muñoz, who had not allowed an earned run in his first 24 appearances of the season, establishing him as the most dominant closer in MLB.

Turns out, he’s human.

Ty France, the Mariners’ former All-Star first baseman in his first game back in Seattle, led off the ninth with an opposite-field single.

Muñoz struck out the next two hitters and was two strikes away from closing the door when he left a 3-1 fastball over the middle of the plate for Willi Castro, who launched it out to right field for a two-run homer to cut the Mariners’ lead to 6-5.

The next batter, Byron Buxton, singled to left field, stole second base and scored easily when Trevor Larnach punched a soft single up the middle.

That tied the score at 6-6, and left the T-Mobile Park crowd of 39,614 sitting in stunned silence.

Correa, the longtime rival with the Houston Astros, then greeted Mariners reliever Casey Legumina with a no-doubt, two-run homer to left field on the first pitch of the 10th inning, scoring the automatic runner, Buxton.

Correa dropped his bat and admired the blast that gave the Twins an 8-6 lead.

It got much, much uglier after that as the Twins piled on four more runs to take a 12-6 lead. Legumina was charged with five earned runs in the inning.

A smattering of boos rained down from the crowd after the top of the 10th mercifully ended.

The late meltdown spoiled another historic surge from Raleigh, who ended the night with 21 homers, moving him ahead of the Yankees’ Aaron Judge for the American League lead and one behind the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani for the MLB lead.

Raleigh is the first catcher in MLB history to hit 20 homers before the end of May.

Raleigh is just the third player in Mariners history to hit 20 homers before the end of May. Ken Griffey Jr. did it three times (1994, 1997, 1999) and Alex Rodriguez did it in 1998.