Josh Naylor's go-ahead grand slam propels Mariners past Orioles

Adam Jude, The Seattle Times on Jun 8, 2026

Published in Baseball

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BALTIMORE — Another new city, another new fanbase for Josh Naylor to aggravate.

This time, Naylor’s antics all happened with a single swing when he launched a go-ahead grand slam in the fifth inning to lift the Seattle Mariners to a 6-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles in the opener of their four-game series Monday before a crowd of 12,377 at Camden Yards.

Emerson Hancock threw five effective innings to continue his breakthrough season, and embattled closer Andrés Muñoz finished it off in the ninth, one night after blowing his fifth save of the season in Detroit.

Naylor’s grand slam was his first with the Mariners and the third of his career. His last grand slam was a walk-off blast against the Mariners in Arizona on June 9, 2025.

During an eventful weekend in Detroit, Naylor drew the ire of the Tigers and their fans after he had a glancing collision with Detroit’s rookie standout, Kevin McGonigle, on Friday. On Saturday, the Tigers plunked Naylor with a 96-mph fastball in his upper back, which the Mariners first baseman later claimed to be on purpose.

M’s second baseman Ryan Bliss, recalled from Tacoma earlier in the day, drove in the tying run earlier in the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly to drive in Dominic Canzone from third base.

Jhonny Pereda and Cole Young each singled and Julio Rodríguez walked to load the bases for Naylor, who turned on an up-and-in fastball from Orioles reliever Anthony Nunez and sent it just over the wall in right field.

Emerson Hancock didn’t have his usual command, but he scattered just three hits and allowed only one run over five innings. The Mariners’ steadiest starter this season, he lowered his ERA to 2.74.

In a wild seventh inning, Matt Brash relieved Cooper Criswell with two runners in scoring position and promptly hit Taylor Ward with a 98-mph sinker in the back to load the bases.

Brash then walked Gunnar Henderson, after getting ahead 0-2, to gift the O’s a run and cut the M’s lead to 5-2.

The next batter, Pete Alonso, appeared to have drawn another walk on a 3-2 ball call, but M’s catcher Jhonny Pereda challenged the pitch — a 97.6-mph sinker from Brash that just clipped the top edge of the strike zone. Alonso was halfway to first base, with what he thought was an RBI walk, when the ABS imagine revealed the strike three; Alonso dropped to a knee on the dirt in frustration.

For Pereda, it was just his sixth successful overturned call in 19 ABS challenges this season. He came into the game ranked last among MLB catchers with a 29% success rate on challenge (minimum 10 challenges).

Randy Arozarena’s third hit of the night drove in Naylor to make it 6-2 in the top of the eighth.

The Orioles got within 6-3 in the bottom of the eighth against Eduard Bazardo, but it was almost worse for the Mariners.

For a moment, the Orioles got within 6-4 on what initially appeared to be a Samuel Basallo sac fly, but Rodriguez started an 8-4 double play to Ryan Bliss at second base to end the inning and, after a successful Mariners challenge the runner coming home, Jackson Holliday, was ruled to not have touched the plate before Bliss tagged the runner (Blaze Alexander) who had tagged up from first base.

That wiped Baltimore’s fourth run off the board and kept it at 6-3.

Young, the Mariners’ 22-year-old regular second baseman, made his first career start at shortstop after rookie Colt Emerson (back tightness) was a late scratch from Monday’s lineup.

Veteran shortstop J.P. Crawford (hand contusion) was placed on the 10-day injured list Monday afternoon, straining the Mariners’ infield depth.

Young handled his only chance cleanly on a 6-3 groundout to end the fourth inning.

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