Rangers 6, Mariners 5
Mitch Moreland scored on a wild play in the bottom of the ninth, lifting the AL West-champion Texas Rangers to a 6-5 comeback victory over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.
Michael Young and Julio Borbon each had two hits and an RBI for Texas, which avoided being swept at home by Seattle for the first time since 2002.
With one on and two outs, Dan Cortes (0-1) struck out pinch-hitter Nelson Cruz, but the third strike got away from catcher Guillermo Quiroz for a wild pitch. Quiroz retrieved the ball and made an errant throw, allowing Moreland to race home with the winning run.
The bizarre play made a winner of Neftali Feliz (4-3), who pitched a perfect top of the ninth.
The Rangers battled back from a 5-1 deficit against Seattle's bullpen to knot the game. After Young delivered an RBI double off Garrett Olson in the seventh, Cortes relieved Jamey Wright with two on and one out in the eighth and walked Matt Treanor and Andres Blanco to force in a run.
Borbon followed with an RBI single and Treanor scored on a wild pitch by Cortes to forge a 5-5 deadlock.
Justin Smoak opened the scoring in the first inning by depositing Rich Harden's 2-0 pitch over the center-field wall for a two-run homer. It was the 13th blast of the season and fifth as a Mariner for Smoak, who went deep in each of the three games against his former club.
Treanor halved the deficit for Texas in the second with a sacrifice fly, but Franklin Gutierrez plated two in the fifth with a double, chasing Harden and giving the Mariners a 4-1 advantage. Ichiro Suzuki added to the lead with an RBI grounder in the sixth.
Jason Vargas was on his way to ending his personal seven-game losing streak before the meltdown by the Mariners' relievers. Vargas, who has not won since August 14, limited Texas to an unearned run and five hits over six innings.