Seattle Mariners' Andres Munoz Was Tipping Pitches in Difficult Ninth Inning Meltdown
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NEW YORK - Seattle Mariners closer Andres Munoz was evidently tipping his pitches on Thursday night during a ninth inning meltdown at Yankee Stadium.
The Mariners led 5-3 entering the bottom of the ninth inning when Munoz, an All-Star, surrendered two runs in a laborious frame that sent the game to extra-innings, where the Mariners eventually lost 6-5.
Every time that the Yankees had a man on second base, you would see the runner flail his arms if Munoz was throwing a slider.
Jack Curry of the YES Network broke it down further on the postgame show, and Cal Raleigh admitted to it as well.
.@JackCurryYES breaks down the success the Yankees had vs Andres Muñoz in the ninth inning.#YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/7nZ6azb2dE
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) July 11, 2025
Cal Raleigh on Andres Munõz tipping slider leading to blown save Thursday, via @BrendanKutyNJ:
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) July 11, 2025
“He was tipping it every time at second base ... Obviously, they weren’t making it very discreet."
pic.twitter.com/UzKkKeroB5
There's a few things going on here, as M's manager Dan Wilson told reporters after the game that he didn't think Munoz was tipping pitches. Personally, as someone who there with those reporters, I'm not sure I believe him, and I think he was just trying to downplay it all. But, if Wilson or the Mariners knew what was going on, why someone didn't go talk to Munoz earlier than they did is a real question. Raleigh did go out with two strikes and two outs and the bases loaded, but not earlier.
Regardless, it all added up to one of the most devastating losses of the season for Seattle, who is now 48-45 and one game out of the third and final wild card spot.
They'll get a chance at the Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal on Friday night with first pitch against the Tigers coming at 4:10 p.m. PT.
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