Mitch Haniger drove in the winning run on a fielder's choice in the bottom of the 11th inning as the Seattle Mariners defeated the Texas Rangers 5-4 Friday night.
With one out in the 11th, Omar Narvaez grounded a single into right field off Rangers right-hander Kyle Dowdy (1-1).
Walks to Ryon Healy and Dee Gordon loaded the bases for Haniger, who hit a hard shot to the left of third baseman Logan Forsythe, who was playing deep.
Forsythe attempted to throw to second to start an inning-ending double play but struggled to get the ball out of his glove, and the speedy Gordon beat the throw to second.
Mariners left-hander Roenis Elias (2-0) pitched two scoreless innings for the victory.
Rangers pinch-hitter Shin-Soo Choo hit a solo home run with one out in the top of the ninth inning off right-hander Anthony Swarzak to tie the score at 4-4. Choo, a 15-year veteran, began his career with the Mariners.
Edwin Encarnacion homered and drove in four runs for the Mariners.
Encarnacion opened the scoring with a three-run homer in the third inning and added a run-scoring single in the fifth after the Rangers had pulled within 3-2. The homer, his seventh of the season, reached the second deck in left field.
Rangers starter Shelby Miller went five innings. The right-hander allowed four runs on three hits with five walks and four strikeouts.
The Mariners sent left-hander Yusei Kikuchi out as their opener, part of the wellness plan that lured him to sign with Seattle in the offseason.
About once a month, the Mariners will use Kikuchi in an abbreviated start in an attempt to avoid the injuries that have befallen other star Japanese pitchers.
Kikuchi retired the side on nine pitches with two strikeouts in the first before giving way to lefty Justus Sheffield, the Mariners' top pitching prospect.
Sheffield, acquired as part of the offseason trade with the New York Yankees for pitcher James Paxton, made his debut for the Mariners and pitched three innings. Sheffield allowed two runs -- both on a homer by Nomar Mazara in the fourth -- on two hits, with four walks and three strikeouts.
The Rangers scored an unearned run in the eighth to pull within 4-3.
--Field Level Media