Cole Young puts team on back, Mariners snatch rubber game from Twins

Apr 29, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Seattle Mariners second baseman Cole Young (2) hits a two RBI single against the Minnesota Twins during the ninth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images Much is made about the so-called ‘sophomore slump’ in sports — you never know how a young player will respond as their opponents do anything and everything in their power to adjust to their game. After a slow start over the first couple of weeks, Cole Young has stabilized, and then some.

It’s only fitting that he provided the exclamation point to close out the first full month of the year. Behind a pair of clutch hits from Young in the late innings, the Mariners came from behind to defeat the Twins 5-3 Wednesday to take the series and guarantee a . 500 record at the end of April.

Facing a drawn-in infield, down a run with one out in the ninth, Young snuck a grounder back up the middle to score two runs and give the Mariners the lead — and it wasn’t the first time on the afternoon that he came up huge. Just two innings earlier, he drove a double into the opposite-field gap to produce a tying run with two outs. Both of the hits came with two strikes.

“When we have that type of a hitter in those kinds of situations, you feel really good about your chances,” manager Dan Wilson said about having Young near the bottom of the order. “He’s really delivered. ” Things were looking bleak at multiple points later in the game, especially with the Mariners struggling to get runners into scoring position against Twins starter Taj Bradley, who eclipsed 110 pitches over seven innings and allowed only four hits and two walks.