SEATTLE (Interstat) — Connelly Early pitched six strong innings, Wilyer Abreu hit a two-run homer and the Boston Red Sox defeated the Seattle Mariners 5-1 on Saturday, June 20, 2026, at T-Mobile Park in front of 45,663.

Early allowed two hits and one earned run while striking out seven, improving to 6-5 on the season. The left-hander rebounded from two rough outings, having given up 11 hits and six earned runs in a loss to Texas on June 14 and five hits and two earned runs in a defeat at Tampa Bay on June 8. On Saturday, Early retired eight consecutive batters at one point and did not walk a batter through the first three innings.

The Mariners took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. J.P. Crawford drew a leadoff walk and Cal Raleigh followed with a single to left field, sending Crawford to second. Julio Rodríguez grounded into a force out at second, but Crawford advanced to third. Josh Naylor then singled to center field, scoring Crawford. Julio Rodríguez moved to second on the play, but Rob Refsnyder grounded out to end the inning.

Seattle managed only one more hit the rest of the game, a second-inning single by Cal Raleigh that came after Cole Young was hit by a pitch. Early responded by striking out Mitch Garver, then induced a force out and a strikeout to escape the inning.

Boston tied the game in the top of the fourth inning. Anthony Seigler led off with a single to left field. After Masataka Yoshida struck out, Abreu crushed a 1-1 pitch from Emerson Hancock over the center-field fence for his ninth home run of the season, scoring Seigler and giving the Red Sox a 2-1 lead. Willson Contreras struck out and Jarren Duran grounded out to end the inning.

The Red Sox added three runs in the sixth inning to extend the lead to 5-1. Seigler grounded out to start the frame. Yoshida singled to right field and Abreu walked. Hancock then walked Contreras to load the bases. Duran grounded into a force out at home, but Abreu moved to third and Contreras to second. Caleb Durbin followed with a single to shortstop, scoring Contreras and sending Duran to third. Marcelo Mayer then singled to second base, scoring Duran and moving Durbin to second. Durbin was caught stealing home later in the inning, but the damage was done.

Hancock took the loss, falling to 5-4. He allowed five earned runs on four hits over 5 1/3 innings, striking out six and walking three. The Mariners bullpen held Boston scoreless over the final three innings. Alex Hoppe struck out two in a perfect seventh, Michael Rucker struck out two in a perfect eighth, and Nick Davila struck out one in a scoreless ninth.

Boston’s Tyron Guerrero, Garrett Whitlock and Danny Coulombe each pitched a scoreless inning in relief of Early. Guerrero struck out two in the seventh, Whitlock struck out one in the eighth, and Coulombe retired the side in order in the ninth.

Durbin led Boston’s offense with two hits in four at-bats and one RBI. Abreu finished 1 for 3 with the two-run homer and two RBIs. The Red Sox managed six hits total. For Seattle, the only hits were Naylor’s first-inning single and Raleigh’s second-inning single. The Mariners struck out 13 times.

The win improved Boston’s record to 31-43, while Seattle fell to 39-39. The Red Sox took the first game of the three-game series after a 6-2 victory Friday night. The teams conclude the series Sunday, June 21.

Boston now heads to Colorado for a three-game series starting Monday, June 22, against the Rockies. The Red Sox then return home to host the New York Yankees for four games from June 25-28, followed by a two-game set with the Washington Nationals on June 29-30.

Seattle remains at home Sunday for the series finale, then travels to Pittsburgh for three games beginning Tuesday, June 23. The Mariners then visit Cleveland for three games June 26-28 before returning home to host the Los Angeles Angels for four games starting June 29.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Seattle Mariners 5, Boston Red Sox 2. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Seattle with a 57.00 percent probability to win. Boston had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus-1.5. The total score of six went over the over-under line of seven.