Rookie Sensation Logan Evans Throws 8-Inning Gem to Lift Mariners Over Nationals 9-1

H2: Rookie right-hander Logan Evans dazzles in eight-inning gem for Seattle Mariners Seattle’s newest pitching sensation, Logan Evans, wasted no time turning a spot start into a statement Tuesday night, spinning eight dominant innings as the Mariners routed the Washington Nationals 9-1 at T-Mobile Park. H3: A fast track from 12th-round pick to prime-time performer • Drafted in the 12th round just 22 months ago out of the University of Pittsburgh, the 23-year-old Evans arrived in the Majors April 27 and is already forcing his way into the rotation conversation. • Tuesday’s outing marked the longest by any Seattle starter this season and the longest of Evans’s professional career. • He needed only 88 pitches (65 strikes) to dispatch an all-lefty Nationals lineup, scattering four hits, walking one and striking out four. H3: Cutter-sweeper combo keeps Nationals guessing Evans mixed a 95 mph four-seam fastball with a sharp mid-80s cutter and a high-spin sweeper that registered over 3,000 rpm, generating 11 ground-ball outs and two double plays. The lone blemish: a 448-foot moon-shot by red-hot rookie James Wood in the fourth. H3: Cal Raleigh’s record power surge provides cushion While Evans mowed ’em down, catcher Cal Raleigh continued his historic tear, belting two right-handed homers to become the first catcher ever to record multi-homer games from both sides of the plate and a separate two-homer left-side game in the same season. Raleigh’s 19th blast vaulted him past Aaron Judge for the American League lead and broke Roy Campanella’s 70-year-old mark for most homers by a catcher through 53 games. H3: Why Evans matters for the AL West race • Seattle is already 13-3 when Raleigh homers, but quality innings from the back of the rotation have been the missing puzzle piece. • Injuries to Logan Gilbert and Bryce Miller opened the door; Evans has slammed it shut, posting a 2.12 ERA in five appearances. • His efficiency allowed manager Dan Wilson to rest a bullpen that had thrown 11 innings the previous two nights. H3: What’s next for fantasy baseball and Mariners fans 1. Evans is lining up for a weekend start against the high-strikeout Oakland Athletics—prime streaming material. 2. The Mariners, now 1.5 games up on Houston, can solidify first place with upcoming series against two sub-.500 clubs. 3. If Evans sticks, Seattle could shift Miller to long relief, strengthening a unit chasing its first division crown since 2001. Quote of the night “Seeing Randy track that ball down in foul ground, I just let the emotions fly,” Evans said of his eighth-inning escape. “These fans have had my back from pitch one.” Bottom line Logan Evans’s rapid ascent from overlooked draftee to rotation revelation is giving the Mariners exactly what a contender needs: young, inexpensive, high-impact pitching. If Tuesday’s masterclass is any indication, “Logan Evans” won’t just be trending; he’ll be anchoring playoff hopes in the Pacific Northwest all summer long.