Zach Neto’s 10th-inning single gives Angels a victory over Mariners
0Ghana mJuly 26, 2025
Angels starting pitcher Jose Soriano throws to the plate during the first inning of a game against the Seattle Mariners on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
The Seattle Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez hits a solo home run during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
The Seattle Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez runs the bases after hitting a solo home run during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Angels star Mike Trout walks off the field after striking out during the first inning of a game against the Seattle Mariners on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
The Angels’ Zach Neto runs the bases on his way to scoring a run during the first inning of a game against the Seattle Mariners on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
The Angels’ Nolan Schanuel high-fives teammates in the dugout after scoring during the first inning of a game against the Seattle Mariners on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
The Seattle Mariners’ Randy Arozarena, right, is hit by a pitch during the second inning of their game against the Angels on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Newly acquired Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor fields a ball during the second inning of their game against the Angels on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Newly acquired Seattle Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor walks off the field during the second inning of their game against the Angels on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
The Seattle Mariners’ Josh Naylor follows through on a swing during the third inning of their game against the Angels on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
The Seattle Mariners’ Josh Naylor walks off the field after striking out during the third inning of their game against the Angels on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Seattle Mariners designated hitter Jorge Polanco is tagged out at first base by Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel, right, during the fourth inning on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
The Seattle Mariners’ Ben Williamson runs to first base during the fifth inning of their game against the Angels on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
The Seattle Mariners’ Julio Rodriguez, center, celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning of their game against the Angels on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
The Angels’ Jo Adell hits a fly ball during the seventh inning of a game against the Seattle Mariners on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
The Seattle Mariners’ Josh Naylor gestures from first base after hitting a single during the eighth inning of their game against the Angels on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
The Angels’ Zach Neto runs to first base during the eighth inning of a game against the Seattle Mariners on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Andres Munoz reacts during the ninth inning of their game against the Angels on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Angels relief pitcher Ryan Zeferjahn throws to the plate during the 10th inning of a game against the Seattle Mariners on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
The Angels’ Zach Neto drives in the winning run during the 10th inning of a game against the Seattle Mariners on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
The Angels’ Zach Neto drives in the winning run during the 10th inning of a game against the Seattle Mariners on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
The Angels’ Zach Neto celebrates after driving in the winning run during the 10th inning of a game against the Seattle Mariners on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
The Angels’ Zach Neto, right, celebrates with teammate Travis d’Arnaud after Neto drove in the winning run in the 10th inning of their 3-2 win against the Seattle Mariners on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
The Angels’ Zach Neto, right, celebrates with teammates Nolan Schanuel, left, and Travis d’Arnaud after he drove in the winning run in the 10th inning of their 3-2 win against the Seattle Mariners on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Angels’ Zach Neto, right, celebrates with teammates Nolan Schanuel, left, and Travis d’Arnaud after he drove in the winning run in the 10th inning of their 3-2 win against the Seattle Mariners on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Angels shortstop Zach Neto has a bucket of ice water dumped on him by teammates after his RBI single in the 10th inning gave them a 3-2 walk-off win against the Seattle Mariners on Friday night at Angel Stadium. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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Angels starting pitcher Jose Soriano throws to the plate during the first inning of a game against the Seattle Mariners on Friday, July 25, 2025, at Angel Stadium. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
ANAHEIM — Zach Neto gave fans some good memories to go with the bobbleheads they took home.
The Angels shortstop made a heady defensive play in the top of the 10th inning and then a game-winning hit in the bottom of the inning, leading the Angels to a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night.
All of it happened on the night Neto was honored with his first major league bobblehead.
“If you ask Z, anytime you can celebrate him, it’s a good day,” interim manager Ray Montgomery quipped. “I’m sure he’s excited about it. That was good. That was fun. I’m glad he got the opportunity to do it.”
Neto said his mother was disappointed that she was unable to make the trip from Florida for his bobblehead night, and when he checked his phone after the game, she had left him a message.
“She was the first person, saying that she can’t stop crying,” Neto said. “It’s pretty cool. Bobblehead night. My first walk-off hit. It’s pretty special.”
The Angels (50-54), who snapped a four-game losing streak, battled the Mariners (55-49) in a taut pitchers’ duel, with Angels right-hander José Soriano and Mariners All-Star righty Bryan Woo shutting down the hitters. Each team’s relievers were then just as stifling. The Angels scored their two runs on a Jo Adell double in the first, and the Mariners got solo homers from Julio Rodriguez in the first and sixth.
Neither team had an at-bat with a runner in scoring position after the fourth inning … until the each team began the 10th with an automatic runner at second.
In the top of the inning, Neto helped bail out the Angels with his glove.
After right-hander Ryan Zeferjahn issued a leadoff walk, J.P. Crawford bunted one in the air and third baseman Kevin Newman overran the ball. It dropped over his head. Neto, the shortstop, alertly picked it up and flipped it out of his glove to Zeferjahn, who was covering third.
“Incredible, amazing,” Montgomery said of Neto’s play.
“That’s not an easy play, coming in full speed, trying to flip it without flipping it over me,” Zeferjahn said. “So that’s an unbelievable play by him. And I think he won us the game right there.”
Not quite.
Zeferjahn had to get two more outs – retiring Rodriguez on a fly ball and Cal Raleigh on a strikeout – and then the Angels needed to get a run home.
Logan O’Hoppe began the bottom of the 10th with a fly ball to deep center, which sent Newman to third. LaMonte Wade Jr. walked. Then Luis Rengifo hit a bouncer to third, and Newman, who was going on contact, was easily out at the plate.
With two outs, the Angels needed a hit, and Neto was at the plate as the fans chanted his name.
The second pitch from right-hander Casey Legumina was a sweeper, and Neto punched it to the right side. The ball wasn’t hit hard, but it was just far enough away from second baseman Cole Young that he couldn’t keep it in his glove with a dive. The ball ticked off his leather and rolled into the outfield as Wade scored the winning run.
Just like that, the losing streak was over.
“Getting off the losing streak, I think it’s the hardest part,” Neto said. “Just seeing how we’ve been battling these past couple of days not going our way, it’s just the game of baseball. The baseball Gods were on our side today, and just be able to come through like that and get the win. Come in tomorrow and hopefully do the same thing.”
Neto only got the opportunity to be the hero because the Angels’ pitchers matched the Mariners’ arms through the first nine innings.
Soriano was sharp for the second game in a row. After allowing two runs in seven innings on Sunday in Philadelphia, he allowed nothing but the two Rodriguez homers. As usual, Soriano plenty of outs on ground balls. Of his 18 outs, half were on the ground and five were strikeouts.
“He had all three (pitches) working,” Montgomery said. “The command, the intent, everything we talked about with him was great. You know, Julio is Julio. He obviously got a couple pitches that he liked. I thought it was really good.”
After Soriano was done, left-hander Brock Burke and left-hander Reid Detmers worked a scoreless inning apiece. Closer Kenley Jansen then pitched a perfect ninth on nine pitches.
The Angels, meanwhile, got a couple of runs on Adell’s first-inning double, which snapped his 1-for-20 slump, and then nothing else. In fact, the Angels didn’t have a runner in scoring position between the second inning and the 10th, when they got the free one.
Thanks to Neto, they made that one count.
“Incredible, amazing,” Soriano said through an interpreter. “He deserves another bobblehead, now with the walk-off.”
