Victor Robles’ Impressive Catch Puts Mariners Ahead of Astros in MLB Playoff Bracket

Seattle Mariners right fielder Victor Robles gave a major boost to the team’s postseason hopes at the end of a 6-4 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday.

With runners on first and second base with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, Robles made a diving catch to rob Carlos Correa of a hit and tossed the ball to second to complete a game-ending double play.

With the victory, the Mariners moved two games above the Astros for the No. 1 spot in the American League West.

Seattle is also one game above the Detroit Tigers for the AL’s No. 2 seed.

Meanwhile, Houston fell to 84-71 and is now tied for the final AL Wild card spot with the Cleveland Guardians. Cleveland holds the tiebreaker between the two teams, though.

Correa detailed his reaction to Robles’ impressive grab after the game.

“I was looking at Julio,” Correa said, per MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer. “I didn’t even know where Robles came from. To me, it looked like he was really far from the moment I hit it. I was just watching Julio and then I thought the ball would drop and then he came out of nowhere.”

The Mariners took a 6-0 lead through the first six and a half innings of Saturday’s matchup, but the Astros pulled to within striking distance with a grand slam from Jeremy Peña in the bottom of the seventh.

Both teams were scoreless in the eighth inning before Robles’ catch prevented a late rally by Houston.

The Mariners continued their stellar play to close out the regular season while they look to capture their first division title since 2001, as they’ve now won 13 of their past 14 games.