Washington pro sports recap for Oct. 12
Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III begins to celebrate his 69-yard rushing touchdown during an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans Sunday.
AP Photo/Derick Hingle
Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez (44) hits a two-run double against the Houston Astros during the second inning in Game 1 of an American League Division Series baseball game in Houston Tuesday.
Seattle Kraken forward Matty Beniers, second from left, is congratulated by Adam Larsson (6) and Andre Burakovsky after scoring a goal against the Vancouver Canucks during the second period of a preseason NHL hockey game Oct. 1 in Seattle.
Ian Bivona serves as the Columbia Basin Herald’s sports reporter and is a graduate of Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. He enjoys the behind-the-scenes stories that lead up to the wins and losses of the various sports teams in the Basin. Football is his favorite sport, though he likes them all, and his favorite team is the Jets. He lives in Soap Lake with his cat, Honey. | October 11, 2022 4:47 PM
SEATTLE – Three of Washington’s professional sports teams are all in different parts of their respective seasons – the Seattle Kraken will begin the regular season tonight, the Seahawks get in the groove of the NFL regular season while the Mariners continue on in their postseason run. Read on for updates on each team.
Mariners
After the celebration ended for the Mariners making the postseason for the first time in over two decades, the games officially began. On the road in Toronto, Seattle began its 2022 postseason run on Friday against the Blue Jays in a best-of-three series.
With a 3-0 lead after the first inning, Seattle pitcher Luis Castillo stayed on the mound for 7.1 innings of shutout baseball, striking out five batters and surrendering six hits. The Mariners scored their fourth run when Suárez grounded into a fielder’s choice in the fifth inning, which allowed Rodríguez to get home for a 4-0 lead.
The score remained the same through the final four innings, giving Seattle a 1-0 lead in the wild card series.
In Game 2 on Saturday, all appeared to be lost through the bottom of the fifth inning. The Blue Jays had scored eight runs through the first five innings, the first four coming off pitches from Seattle starter Robbie Ray. Adam Frazier scored on a sac fly from Jarred Kelenic’s bat to cut into the lead, but the Blue Jays extended the lead to 8-1 after a four-run fifth inning.
The comeback began with Ty France scoring on a wild pitch in the sixth inning, immediately followed by a three-run home run hit by Carlos Santana to cut the deficit to three. The Blue Jays added another run in the seventh, where the Mariners later answered with a three RBI double by J.P. Crawford to tie the game. Seattle took the lead on an RBI double by Frazier, giving Seattle a 10-9 lead and the eventual series win to move on to the ALDS.
For their win, the Mariners were rewarded with a matchup against the Houston Astros, who held a 12-7 advantage in wins during the regular season over the Mariners. Houston won six of the final seven games against the Mariners in the regular season.
The Mariners took a 4-0 lead after the second inning in Game 1 against the Astros, featuring an RBI single by Raleigh and an RBI single and double by Rodríguez. Seattle held a 7-5 lead at the bottom of the eighth inning, but a three-run ninth gave the Astros a last-minute victory.
Seahawks
The offense hasn’t been the problem for the Seattle Seahawks in the previous three weeks, who are averaging 34.3 points per game in those games. Coming off a 48-45 shootout win over Detroit last week, the Seahawks found themselves in another high-scoring game, this time losing 39-32 to the New Orleans Saints.
Seattle posted a total of 396 yards of offense on Sunday, 245 through the air and 151 on the ground. The rushing total is lifted by a 69-yard rushing touchdown by rookie Kenneth Walker III, who will be seeing an increased role with fellow running back Rashaad Penny being ruled out for the season with a broken fibula and high-ankle sprain. Quarterback Geno Smith once again led the offense efficiently, throwing three touchdowns on the day. The first of which was a 50-yard pass to receiver DK Metcalf, with receiver Tyler Lockett reaching the end zone twice with receptions of 35 and 40 yards.
The Seahawks were gashed by the rushing attack of New Orleans on Sunday, allowing 235 yards on the ground. The bulk of the Saints’ round game was from Alvin Kamara (103 yards) and Taysom Hill (112 yards, three touchdowns), the latter of which gave New Orleans the lead on a 60-yard run with under six minutes remaining.
Through five games, the Seahawks are seeing NFL highs in yards allowed per game (430) and rushing yards allowed per game (170.2) but also are tied for the fourth-most takeaways (8). Seattle will host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday in a divisional battle of 2-3 teams, looking to improve to .500 on the year. Kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m. in Seattle.
Kraken
The Kraken dropped their final two preseason games last week, losing 4-1 to the Calgary Flames and 5-3 to the Edmonton Oilers. The regular season begins tonight with a road trip to face off against the Anaheim Ducks and then on Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings before returning to Seattle for a home opener against the Vegas Golden Knights.
