On Saturday night, T-Mobile Park witnessed one of the best games of Randy Arozarena’s career. 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, dominating the game with ease. His efforts paid off as the 31-year-old achieved a rare feat during the Mariners’ 5-4 walk-off win against the Cubs.
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“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 a group of six players, 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).
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 hits 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.
Sarah Langs of MLB.com reported that the elite company Arozarena joined with his record.
“Leadoff home run on first pitch and walk-off home run in same game: 8/22/26 Randy Arozarena, 8/17/26 Pete Crow-Armstrong, 5/7/57 Vic Power.”
However, the list of Arozarena’s heroics did not end with leadoff and walk-off homers in the same game. He also robbed the Cubs’ Miguel Amaya of a homer in the third inning with a stunning catch near the wall.
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.”
Around the trade deadline, the Mariners were reportedly listening to offers for Arozarena, but ultimately chose not to proceed. 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.