Mariners swept in ALDS as Peña HR lifts Astros to marathon win

Oct 15, 2022, 7:33 PM | Updated: 9:51 pm

Mariners players look on after losing to the Houston Astros in the ALDS on Oct. 15, 2022. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

BY BRENT STECKER

Seattle Sports

The Mariners went kicking and screaming, but the return of playoff baseball to Seattle after a 21-year drought has officially ended.

Full recap story: Astros finish ALDS sweep of Mariners

Seattle went 18 innings – you read that right, enough for an entire doubleheader – in Game 3 of the American League Division Series, but Houston rookie Jeremy Peña dashed the M’s dreams of a second postseason game this year at T-Mobile Park with a solo homer that lifted the Astros to a 1-0 victory and series sweep (box score).

JEREMY PEÑA BREAKS THE ICE IN THE 18TH! #postseason pic.twitter.com/4EkefQ91U3

— MLB (@MLB) October 16, 2022

The game tied the record for longest in MLB postseason history and was only an inning short of the Seattle franchise record of 19 innings. It lasted six hours, 22 minutes.

Pitching dominated the deciding game, with the M’s throwing a shutout split between nine pitchers until Peña’s homer off Penn Murfee, who was in his second inning of work at the time. Robbie Ray came on to finish the inning as Seattle’s 10th pitcher of the game.

Houston used eight pitchers itself for the combined shutout, with Luis García – typically a starter – earning the win in five innings of relief.

Seattle rookie George Kirby started and was outstanding over seven shutout innings. Houston’s Lance McCullers Jr. went six innings as the starter.

Despite the AL West-champion Astros’ sweep, all three games of the ALDS were tightly contested. The Mariners may have come up short, but they at least showed they can keep pace with a team now heading to its sixth straight AL Championship Series. And Seattle is only getting better, loaded with young players including several rookies who played key roles in 2022, and primed to add more talent in free agency this offseason.

We will have more on the game Saturday night on SeattleSports.com.

Here are some video highlights from the day (and eventually night):