The ninth inning fell apart quicker than anyone in the Mariners’ dugout could have anticipated. What started as a celebratory moment over Bryan Woo’s no-hitter transformed into a chaotic downfall, ending with a walk-off sacrifice fly and a hushed atmosphere in the visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium. A comfortable five-point lead disappeared as the Yankees rejoiced in their comeback victory of the season, while concerns shifted rapidly from performance to a more unsettling question: Was there some insider information shared with the Yankees beforehand?
In the clubhouse stood a voice that resonated louder than the others did; it was evident that Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh was not concealing his frustration. He watched Andrés Muñoz, Seattle’s dominant closer, suddenly look human. Not because the Yankees outslugged him, but because they may have known what was coming. Their baserunners were clearly signaling pitches. And according to Raleigh, the Mariners missed the warning signs.
“He was tipping it every time at second base,” Raleigh said. “Obviously, they weren’t making it very discreet, I guess is the word. It’s part of the game. It’s our job. We should have known about that going into the series. That made it really hard there at the end.”
It was an admission that cut deep and sparked a quiet disagreement within the team. Manager Dan Wilson wasn’t ready to accept that Muñoz’s unraveling had anything to do with tipping. “You know, we saw him. I don’t think that’s the case, but, you know, I just, I think we just, you know, we got ourselves into some tough counts and, you know, they were able to take advantage of it,” Wilson said in a candid conversation with New York Post Sports reporter.
The contrast in tone was hard to ignore. Raleigh’s words sounded like a catcher who recognized the breakdown in preparation. Wilson’s response, meanwhile, came across as damage control, downplaying the possibility that the Yankees had picked up a tell on Muñoz’s slider.
According to a team source, the Yankees had indeed spotted Muñoz tipping, with runners on base allegedly signaling pitch types. It wasn’t just speculation; the video appeared to back it up. And for a reliever with a 1.06 ERA and the league’s lowest batting average against, the sudden implosion seemed too sharp to explain away with vague references to “tough counts.”
The Mariners now face a harder question than how they blew a five-run lead. They have to ask why some in the clubhouse saw the warning signs, and others refused to believe them.
Inside the Mariners’ collapse: A dominant closer suddenly looks exposed
For nearly a month, Andrés Muñoz looked untouchable. He’d strung together nine consecutive shutout outings, allowing just two hits during that stretch and sporting a league-best .128 batting average against. Hitters flailed at his triple-digit fastball and helplessly waved at his wipeout slider. But all it took was one inning in the Bronx to flip that dominance on its head, and the Yankees didn’t overpower him; they outsmarted him.
MLB, Baseball Herren, USA Pittsburgh Pirates at Seattle Mariners Jul 6, 2025 Seattle, Washington, USA Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Andres Munoz 75 celebrates after a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at T-Mobile Park. Seattle T-Mobile Park Washington USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xStephenxBrashearx 20250706_SB_bd8_21
With the Mariners clinging to a 5-3 lead in the ninth, Muñoz entered as the hammer meant to finish the job. Instead, cracks appeared instantly. Trent Grisham singled. So did Cody Bellinger. Then something strange happened. Grisham, standing on second, began making visible, circular arm motions just before each pitch. The Yankees weren’t guessing; they were reading him like a book. And the numbers showed it. Three hits, one walk, two earned runs, Muñoz, the All-Star, looked nothing like the stopper Seattle had relied on all season.
The whispers about tipping became shouts, especially once Raleigh confirmed what fans were seeing. The Yankees had figured out when the slider was coming, and they passed that information along base-to-base. What was once a lights-out weapon became predictable, and in baseball, predictability is a death sentence.
Muñoz didn’t just blow a save; he lost his edge, his mystique, and possibly some trust within the clubhouse.
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