ARLINGTON – Twelve days ago, the Sailors embarked on something that hadn’t been done since Lou Pinilla was captain and had been eyeing the MLS flag for nearly 21 years.
Twelve days later and they’re still going.
Seattle achieved its eleventh consecutive victory in the A 6-5 win over Rangers Thursday evening at Globe Life Field. It’s the second longest winning streak in franchise history and currently the longest active winning streak in the Majors’ Championship, with the Orioles sitting 10 consecutive wins behind them.
With the win, the Mariners (48-42) now owns 2nd Wild Card Spot in the American League. It’s only 1.5 games behind the Rays to take the lead in the AL.
Against Martin Perez’s Rangers All-Star, it looked as if the historic streak would end. The bats were cool and the Texans got their start at best Marco Gonzalez, who gave up five runs for the first time since his May 23 exit against Oakland, at a season-high 11 times.
But as they did several times during the 11-game stretch, the Mariners were behind, scoring five runs in the last three frames to keep the streak intact. And all thanks to Ty France.
France, who have entered the 2-for-20 series since their exit from IL on July 7, hit the single go-ahead in the eighth inning that put Seattle ahead and keep pace with the win.
“Coffee ninja. Web fan. Hipster-friendly beer enthusiast. Professional creator.”