"The HaniGOAT" "His back must hurt from carrying this team tonight" - Mitch Haniger lifts the Seattle Mariners against the Cleveland Guardians for the second-straight night

Mitch Haniger was once again the hero for the Seattle Mariners in their contest against the Cleveland Guardians. A day removed after scoring all the RBIs in their 3-1 win over the Guardians, Haniger once again came to answer the call for the Mariners.

The outfielder singled in the winning walk-off run in a close 3-2 victory wherein the Mariners celebrated legend Ichiro Suzuki's Hall of Fame induction.

The 31-year old went 2-for-5 in the contest with the winning RBI. He is currently batting .280 in his 107 at-bats this season. It was the second consecutive night that he powered Seattle over Cleveland. Two nights ago, he scored a three-run bomb that proved to be the winning runs in the game against the Guardians.

Several Seattle Mariners fans lauded the effort from Haniger and have called for an extension on his contract. Fans also discussed Haniger being one of the best players in the league when he is healthy and fit to play.

The Seattle Mariners outfielder not only drove in the winning run, but also produced a highlight worthy of a replay several times over. He evaded the tag from Cleveland's All-Star shortstop Andres Gimenez that left everyone stunned.

It was a low-scoring affair as two star caliber starters took the mound. Shane Bieber produced a seven-inning one-earned run outing while his Seattle counterpart Logan Gilbert surrendered just two runs in 6.1 innings.

Cleveland's All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase just lost his third game of the year after issuing the game-winning single to Haniger.

Seattle Mariners fans rejoice after tight-knit walkoff win against the Guardians

With the win over Cleveland, the Mariners have once again climbed into playoff contention by claiming the final spot in the American League Wild Card race. The Mariners are still 12 games behind the Houston Astros in the American League West, however.

Seattle's most probable shot to make it to the postseason is by taking games off other playoff contenders. Beating Cleveland on consecutive nights certainly helped them boost their chances.

The Mariners own a 69-57 record while the Guardians fell to 66-58. The American League Wild Card race is certainly one to look out for as at least seven teams are vying to make it to the postseason.

About the author

Daniel Santiago is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. He was drawn towards the sport after the underlying statistics and the analysis surrounding it grabbed his attention.

Daniel particularly enjoys furnishing reports about historic events in baseball and analyzing the game through a statistic-based outlook, based on Fangraphs and Baseball-Reference. This is in line with how he enjoyed watching baseball as a pastime. As a writer, he is very particular about cross-checking from reputable sources and doing his due diligence.

He became a lifelong Hideki Matsui fan after his exploits in the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees. Among the current generation, Daniel's favorites include Shohei Ohtani and Jung Hoo Lee. Daniel is a huge follower of Asian baseball and both Ohtani and Lee have been in the top echelon of their respective leagues during their time with the NPB and KBO.

His favorite moment as a baseball fan was the final at-bat of the 2023 World Baseball Classic between Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout. He believes there aren't many words to fittingly describe the intensity of the moment.

As an avid sports fan, Daniel watches other sports and Esports when not writing about baseball.

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