It’s almost unreal how quickly things change. Days ago, trade talks around Randy Arozarena were intensifying. After all, he’s a free agent by the end of the year, and the Seattle Mariners have reported not having had extension talks with him. But now, they might want to rethink that after what the 31-year-old pulled off on Saturday night was a rare feat achieved by only 6 others in the league’s history!
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T-Mobile Park witnessed one of the best games of Randy Arozarena’s career yesterday. He not only helped the Mariners cruise to a 5-4 walk-off win against the Cubs, but “Randy Arozarena is the 7th player in MLB history with a leadoff HR and walk-off HR in the same game!” per ESPN Insights.
With that, Arozarena joined an exclusive group of 6 players who have pulled off a similar win in MLB history, including Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chris Young (Aug. 7, 2010), Ian Kinsler (July 19, 2009), Reed Johnson (June 15, 2003), Darin Erstad (June 25, 2000), and Vic Power (May 7, 1957).
Arozarena is also the first one to pull this off in the Mariners’ history. However, this occurred only after a last-minute shakeup in the game.
Arozarena nearly missed this historic moment
Mariners’ third baseman, Brendan Donovan, had to be scratched from the starting lineup unexpectedly after he got hit in the head in the batting cage before the game. This reportedly pushed Arozarena, who was supposed to bat second, into the leadoff spot.
Arozarena also reportedly expressed his feelings following the game, “I think it’s my biggest game (with the Mariners). I didn’t expect to come into the game and hit two home runs and rob one. But yes, it was a special day for me, a special performance for myself. But most importantly, this moment in time for the team and being able to help the team win. (That was) the biggest thing for today.
Here’s how it all unfolded: Randy Arozarena batted lead off against the Cubs on Saturday. He sent the first pitch, a 93-mph four-seamer from David Peterson, out of the park, 416 feet away. His solo shot put the Mariners in an early 1-0 lead. The Mariners held that lead till the top of the fifth inning, before Kevin Alcántara hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Tyrone Taylor to tie the game.
In the next frame, the Cubs took the lead with home runs from Michael Busch and Alex Bregman. Anderson’s night ended with two outs in the sixth, after which Carlos Vargas took over. Chicago then added another run when Taylor’s ground-rule double off Vargas brought Nico Hoerner home, extending the lead to 4-2.
The Cubs maintained the lead till the bottom of the ninth, when Jacob Webb came to close it out. With two outs, Webb allowed a double to Weston Wilson. In the next at-bat, Leo Rivas’ RBI single drove Wilson home. The Mariners were trailing by 1 run, with the score stuck at 4-3.
With the Cubs one out away from victory, Arozarena launched a two-run walk-off home run to complete the comeback. And that’s how it was supposed to be rookie starter Kade Anderson’s night, as he made his debut for the Seattle Mariners, but Arozarena stole all the spotlight with not just this, but another historic moment.
He also robbed the Cubs’ Miguel Amaya of a homer in the third inning with a stunning catch near the wall. Clearly, there are more reasons for the Mariners to not consider Arozarena’s trade now.
Should the Mariners drop the idea of trading Arozarena?
Around the trade deadline, the Mariners were reportedly listening to offers for Arozarena, but ultimately chose not to proceed. Now the outfielder responded to their doubts by lifting them over the Cubs on Saturday.
He is under a 1-year, $15.65 million contract with the Mariners to avoid salary arbitration. He will become a free agent after 2026.
However, he is having the best year of his career in a platform season. He is at the top of the team leaderboard with a 3.5 bWAR. Plus, he is slated to be the Mariners’ only All-Star representative this summer.
Let’s also note that as of July 2026, when he earned an All-Star nod for the second straight year, he led all qualified Mariners hitters in every slash-line category. And now, with this historic achievement, clearly trading him could be a head-scratcher for his team.