SEATTLE (Interstat) — Josh Naylor lined a single into left field in the bottom of the ninth inning Wednesday afternoon, driving in Cal Raleigh to cap a late Seattle rally and deliver a 5-4 walk-off victory for the Mariners over the Athletics at T-Mobile Park.

The Athletics, who had taken the first two games of the series, appeared poised for a sweep when Nick Kurtz launched a solo home run off Seattle closer Andrés Muñoz in the top of the ninth to break a 4-4 tie. But the Mariners, who had methodically chipped away at an early deficit, mounted one final comeback against reliever Joel Kuhnel.

The decisive inning began with a defensive substitution, as Zack Gelof entered to play center field for Oakland. Leo Rivas greeted Kuhnel with a sharp single to Gelof, but was promptly erased when J.P. Crawford grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. With the bases empty and two outs, Raleigh kept the game alive with an infield single to center. Julio Rodríguez followed with a groundball single to left, moving Raleigh into scoring position for Naylor. The Seattle first baseman, who had three hits on the afternoon, then laced a 1-0 pitch from Kuhnel into left field, scoring Raleigh easily from second and setting off a celebration at home plate.

The most important part of the game was Seattle’s relentless, incremental offense and its bullpen’s ability to keep the game within reach after a rocky start. The Mariners scored single runs in the first, third, sixth, seventh and ninth innings, constantly answering and never letting the Athletics’ early lead feel secure. This persistence was matched by a stellar performance from the Seattle relief corps. After starter Logan Gilbert allowed three runs over five innings, Jose A. Ferrer, Matt Brash and Cooper Criswell combined for three scoreless frames, allowing just two hits. Their work set the stage for the dramatic finish, even after Muñoz surrendered the go-ahead homer to Kurtz in the ninth.

Oakland had seized control immediately against Gilbert. Kurtz led off the game with a walk, Shea Langeliers singled and Carlos Cortes loaded the bases with an infield hit. Tyler Soderstrom’s sacrifice fly brought in the first run, and after a fielding error by Seattle center fielder Julio Rodríguez allowed a second run to score, the Athletics led 2-0 before recording an out.

Seattle got one back in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly by Randy Arozarena, but extended its lead to 3-1 in the third on an RBI double by Jacob Wilson. Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh answered in the bottom of the frame, crushing a solo home run to right field off starter Aaron Civale to make it 3-2.

Civale held the line into the sixth, but Seattle tied it there. Josh Naylor singled and Mitch Garver doubled him to third. Rob Refsnyder’s sacrifice fly to deep center brought Naylor home, knotting the score at 3-3. The Mariners then took their first lead in the seventh. J.P. Crawford singled, Raleigh doubled him to third, and Rodríguez grounded out to shortstop, allowing Crawford to score for a 4-3 advantage.

The lead was short-lived, as Kurtz took Muñoz deep to center in the ninth for his fourth homer of the year, temporarily silencing the crowd of 15,704. Muñoz recovered to record the final two outs of the inning, setting himself up for the win when Seattle rallied against Kuhnel in the bottom half.

Muñoz earned the win, moving to 3-2 despite allowing the ninth-inning homer. Kuhnel took the loss, falling to 0-1. Civale delivered a solid start for Oakland, allowing three runs on six hits over 5 1/3 innings, striking out five. Raleigh led Seattle’s 14-hit attack, going 3-for-5 with the homer, a double, two runs scored and an RBI. Kurtz and Wilson each had two of Oakland’s nine hits.

With the victory, Seattle avoided a series sweep and improved its record to 11-15. Oakland, which had won four of its last five, fell to 13-12. The Athletics travel to Texas to open a three-game series with the Rangers on Friday. The Mariners embark on a six-game road trip, beginning with a three-game set in St. Louis on Friday.