Mariners stick to the script, author delightful 5-4 win against Braves

May 4, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners shortstop J. P. Crawford (3) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the sixth inning against the Atlanta Braves at T-Mobile Park.

Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images | Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images Every Star Wars Day (May the Fourth, in case this particular branding hasn’t been pounded into your skull) produces the same opportunity to lay the story of the baseball game over the Star Wars leitmotif. Last year we had an uninspiring 8-1 loss to the Rangers where Zach purposefully trolled by mixing up Stars War and Trek , but ultimately got trolled by the game being so bad no one got particularly mad about it. Maybe the only person he really made mad was staffer Jake Parr, who wrote his own Star Wars-themed recap a week later , repeating a theme of his from 202 4 (and 2023 !

), when he was mad I had the recap on Star Wars Day and neglected to do anything with it, because by this point I have been through so. many. baseball Star Wars Days, while still having only ever seen the original trilogy, and at that only in 20-minute asynchronous increments on my break at the Cineplex Odeon Southcenter Theatre (-tre because we were Fancy).

But sometimes the narrative pull is so strong, and tonight that narrative pull involves a guy named Luke using the force to win (or help win) a baseball game, you just have to throw up your hands, pour a nice [ frantic googling sounds ] Tarisian Ale, put on some [ more frantic googling ] Max Rebo Band, and give yourself over to the story being told. The story tonight was of two halves. The first half: bad.