MLB Recap · May 22, 2026

Seattle Mariners at Kansas City Royals: Final Score & Recap

SEA2
Final
KC0

Line Score

Team123456789RHE
SEA000000200251
KC000000000040

The Story

The Seattle Mariners shut out the Kansas City Royals 2-0 at Kauffman Stadium on May 22, 2026, with all the scoring concentrated in a single seventh-inning swing. The DiamondIQ model's estimate had Kansas City entering the game with a 45% chance of winning, but that figure collapsed to 0% by the final out as Seattle's pitching staff held the Royals to four hits across nine innings.

The decisive moment came in the top of the seventh when Mitch Garver connected on a home run off Nick Mears, a swing that shifted win probability by 23.3 percentage points in Seattle's favor and accounted for both runs on the board. That hit anchored Garver's night as the game's most impactful offensive performer, finishing with a cumulative WPA of plus 26.7% and a RE24 of plus 1.8. Kansas City's best chance to respond came in the bottom of the ninth, when Jac Caglianone's lineout off Andrés Muñoz represented a 14.4-point swing that ultimately went in Seattle's direction, extinguishing the final threat. Michael Massey had briefly kept the Royals' hopes alive with a single off Matt Brash in the eighth that registered plus 8.9% WPA, but Vinnie Pasquantino's lineout immediately after neutralized that momentum at minus 8.8%.

On the mound, Noah Cameron led all pitchers with a WPA of plus 31.8%, followed by Logan Gilbert at plus 20.1% and Eduard Bazardo at plus 15.2%, reflecting a collective shutdown effort that gave the Royals no sustained opportunities to score. Victor Robles had actually cost Seattle a potential opportunity in the fifth, grounding into a double play off Cameron that registered minus 9.5% WPA for the Mariners, but the offense ultimately needed only that one Garver blast to secure the victory.

Analysis generated by DiamondIQ's model.

Win Probability

755025SEA bats firstFinalKC win %SEA win %
DiamondIQ model home win probability across the game (pre-game 45% → final 0%).

Biggest Plays by Win-Probability Added

Mitch Garver Home Run
Top 7th · off Nick Mears
+23.3%
Jac Caglianone Lineout
Bot 9th · off Andrés Muñoz
+14.4%
Victor Robles Grounded Into DP
Top 5th · off Noah Cameron
-9.5%
Michael Massey Single
Bot 8th · off Matt Brash
+8.9%
Vinnie Pasquantino Lineout
Bot 8th · off Matt Brash
-8.8%

Top Batters by WPA

Mitch Garver+26.7%+1.8 RE24
Jac Caglianone+7.6%-0.6 RE24
Michael Massey+5.0%+0.1 RE24

Top Pitchers by WPA

Full box score, pitch data, and the play-by-play timeline
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