Kade Anderson’s promising MLB debut with Mariners ends in walk-off win over Cubs

SEATTLE — With their playoff hopes flickering and the baseball industry’s top pitching prospect forcing the issue, the Seattle Mariners promoted Kade Anderson directly from Double-A Arkansas to make his major-league debut on national TV, against a potential MVP-driven lineup, in front of a sellout crowd.

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Chicago Cubs superstar Pete Crow-Armstrong popped up Anderson’s first pitch, a 94.7 mph fastball, as the youthful lefty began what the Mariners hope will become a special career. The early returns were encouraging, if not overwhelming, but the ending to Saturday’s 5-4 walk-off win over the Cubs at T-Mobile Park made it especially memorable.

“It was just a blast out there,” Anderson told reporters after giving up three runs in 5 2/3 innings and getting a no-decision. “There’s obviously going to be some jitters, but I feel like I controlled them pretty well and got through those pretty quick.

“At the end of the day, it’s just another game. I feel like when you have that mindset, it calms the nerves.”

Anderson, who grew up in Louisiana and turned 22 last month, needed only two seasons at LSU to establish himself as the No. 3 pick in last year’s MLB Draft. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022, missing his senior season of high school baseball and working his way back into form in the highly competitive SEC.

LEADOFF HOMER ➡️ WALK-OFF HOMER

RANDY AROZARENA WINS IT FOR THE @MARINERS! pic.twitter.com/iCYCRYwo4u

— MLB (@MLB) August 23, 2026

Everything clicked for the Tigers in 2025, as Anderson was named the Most Outstanding Player at the College World Series won by LSU, the same program that recently produced Paul Skenes.

Anderson’s entire journey through the minors amounted to 18 starts in the Texas League, where he went 10-1 with a 1.06 ERA and 135 strikeouts against 13 walks in 93 1/3 innings.

“You try to figure out: Where does a pitcher give up damage? And where are the places that are bad for him?” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “He’s been so dominant in the minor leagues that it’s hard to find those places. He’s had a wonderful season, for sure. He looks, to me, like a very polished pitcher.

“It’s four pitches. There’s a ton of strikes. They are all quality pitches. That’s a big reason for the success. I don’t know if there’s one pitch that necessarily stands out. He throws a lot of strikes with four quality offerings, which is very unique for somebody with such little professional experience.”

The star of the game, though, was Randy Arozarena, Seattle’s leadoff guy and left fielder. Arozarena blasted the first pitch he saw from Chicago starter David Peterson for a home run in the first inning. Anderson tipped his cap in the third inning after Arozarena made a leaping catch at the left-field wall to take a home run away from Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya.

And Arozarena ended the game when he crushed Jacob Webb’s slider for a two-out, two-run homer that disappeared over the center-field fence. Counsell signaled that Webb — who had not allowed a run in his previous 24 appearances — will be back out there the next time the Cubs have a save opportunity.

“I’m human,” Webb said. “I just didn’t execute today. To (Arozarena), I was honestly trying to bury it and see if I could get a swing out of it, but just left it up a little bit. Refocus and get back out there again.”

After Friday night’s walk-off loss to the Mariners in the 10th inning, the Cubs felt like they let another game slip away. Thanks to Arozarena’s defense, Anderson did not allow a hit until Seiya Suzuki’s leadoff single into shallow center field in the fourth inning. After the Cubs manufactured a run in the fifth inning, Anderson responded by getting Amaya to ground into a double play, stopping the rally.

By the sixth inning, though, an experienced lineup took advantage of the situation. Alex Bregman and Michael Busch launched Anderson’s 80th and 81st pitches for home runs. Anderson kicked some dirt on the mound before Mariners manager Dan Wilson took the ball from him. The crowd of 45,681 gave Anderson a standing ovation.

“We put together a good plan against him,” Amaya said. “We executed the plan.”