NEW YORK — Perhaps the P in his initials really stands for Power.
J.P. Crawford, real name John Paul, continued to be the Mariners’ most important player this season on the field and off it.
The Mariners shortstop and unofficial team captain continued his stellar season of production at the plate, delivering when the Mariners need it most.
Leading off the top of the ninth with the score tied, Crawford sat on an 0-1 change-up from Adam Ottavino, yanking it over the wall in right field in the top of the ninth for a solo homer in what would be the winning run in the Mariners’ 8-7 victory.
But given the back-and-forth nature of the game, where the Mariners would take a lead and lose it, the bottom of the ninth had to feature some drama.
After recording the final out of the eighth inning, right-hander Justin Topa came back out to close out the victory.
Born and raised in upstate New York, Topa had a large cheering contingent of friends and family in the seats of Citi Field.
He picked up the first out of the ninth in unexpected fashion. Former Mariner Daniel Vogelbach, who drove in the winning run on Friday night for New York, lined a ball into the gap in right-center. Perhaps thinking it would get to the wall, the not-so-speedy Vogelbach inexplicably headed for second base. Left fielder Sam Haggerty was able to cut the ball off and spin and fire quickly to Crawford, who was the cutoff man. Crawford caught the ball and paused, almost in disbelief that Vogelbach was trying for second. He flipped the ball to Jose Caballero, who applied the tag as Vogelbach dived headfirst but never actually got to the base.
The miscue loomed large when the next batter D.J. Stewart singled up the middle. Topa was able to get the save, getting Brett Baty to pop out to third and Francisco Alvarez to hit a comebacker to the mound.
The back-and-forth affair featured a combined 23 hits, including five homers, two triples, two doubles, five walks and two hit by pitches.
Luis Castillo’s final line: five-plus innings, five runs allowed on eight hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
With his velocity slightly down on his fastball and the crispness of his pitches lacking, Castillo struggled to generate swings and misses in needed counts or consistent weak contact the second time through the Mets order.
Given a 3-0 lead going into the fourth inning, Castillo gave up a leadoff single to Pete Alonso and then hit Vogelbach in the foot. His very next pitch — a 95-mph fastball that stayed in the middle of the plate — was ambushed by D.J. Stewart and sent over the fence in center field for a game-tying three-run homer.
The normally stone-faced Castillo was stunned and then highly irritated at the result, showing an uncharacteristic amount of anger and emotion as Stewart circled the bases.
But it didn’t lead to improved command or lockdown results.
His teammates gave him another lead, this time a four-run cushion, thanks to Hernandez’s sac fly in the fifth inning and three runs in the sixth, highlighted by Dominic Canzone’s pinch-hit two-run homer to right field.
Castillo started the sixth inning and couldn’t get an out. He gave up a solo homer to Mark Vientos on a 3-1 fastball and then walked Omar Narvaez. Manager Scott Servais went to his bullpen.
Lefty Gabe Speier entered the game and struck out Ronny Mauricio and Brandon Nimmo. But a 1-2 slider to Francisco Lindor caught just enough plate, allowing the Mets’ switch-hitting shortstop to yank it down the line and off the foul pole in left field for a two-run homer.