Calhoun, who had hit just one homer since May 12, also hit a two-run homer in the first inning to help the Angels win for just the third time in their past nine games, 6-5.
ANAHEIM — Willie Calhoun finished the game the way he started it on Friday night.
Calhoun blasted a two-run, walk-off homer in the 10th inning to lift the Angels to a 6-5 victory over the Seattle Mariners in the second game of their four-game series on Friday night at Angel Stadium.
“It’s pretty surreal,” Calhoun said. “I’ve been around for some time now and never hit a walk-off, even in the minor leagues, so rounding the bases like that was. … I kind of blacked out, honestly.”
Calhoun, who had hit just one homer since May 12, also hit a two-run homer in the first to help the Angels end a seven-game losing streak against their American League West rivals. His third career multi-homer game – capped by his no-doubt shot to right field – gave the Angels just their third victory in the past nine games.
“Both the home runs today, I really did not try to muscle up or anything,” Calhoun said.
Angels starter Tyler Anderson, the Angels’ sole All-Star selection, allowed four runs and six hits in six innings, striking out four without a walk.
Ben Joyce pitched a scoreless seventh to run his streak of scoreless innings to 13⅓. Luis Garcia did the same in the eighth and Carlos Estevez blanked the Mariners in the ninth to extend his scoreless inning streak to 14⅓.
Angels manager Ron Washington was able to use all of his high-leverage relievers on Friday because of the six innings of relief Kenny Rosenberg contributed on Thursday.
“What he gave us last night gave us an opportunity to have a chance to win tonight,” Washington said.
Nolan Schanuel and Brandon Drury had two hits each for the Angels (39-55), who were coming off an 11-0 loss to the Mariners on Thursday night.
Seattle starter Bryan Woo made his first start since June 24 after recovering from a right hamstring strain and went 3⅓ innings, allowing four runs and nine hits while striking out one and walking two for the Mariners (52-44).
Before his final at-bat, Calhoun told on-deck hitter Logan O’Hoppe that he was either going to move the ghost runner, Taylor Ward, to third with a ground out or tie the score with a single.
Instead, he hit the second pitch from Austin Voth (2-3) over the fence in right for the game-winner
“It went out and I was surprised,” Calhoun said. “It’s a lot of fun to hit one home run in a game, so to be able to do it twice in a game is pretty special.”
Hans Crouse (2-0) came out of the bullpen to face the top of the order in the 10th and he got the first out, but Mitch Garver pulled a ground-rule double just out of the reach of Ward in left to score Josh Rojas from second and give Seattle a 5-4 lead.
Julio Rodriguez came up with two outs and a runner on first in the first inning and clubbed a line drive off the wall in right field and above the yellow line indicating a home run for a 2-0 lead.
The Angels answered with a two-out, two-run homer in their half of the first to tie it 2-2.
Anthony Rendon doubled into the right-center field gap to lead off the inning. Rendon was on third when Calhoun hit the first pitch he saw from Woo into the seats in right for his third home run of the season.
Seattle came back with another two-out, two-run homer in the third, this time off the bat of catcher Cal Raleigh to extend the lead to 4-2.
“I probably should have paid more attention to that homer Raleigh hit on the changeup yesterday,” Anderson said.
The Angels put their leadoff batter on base for the third time when Moniak doubled into the right field corner to lead off the fourth. He was on third with one out when Jo Adell hit an opposite-field single to right to cut it to 4-3.
Rendon then walked and Schanuel hit a broken-bat single to right that scored Adell from second to tie it at 4-4 and end Woo’s night.
The Angels had two more runners thrown out on the basepaths in the early innings.
After Calhoun’s homer, the Angels strung together three two-out singles in the inning, but O’Hoppe was thrown out at home to end the inning after the ball got loose on the infield.
Drury tried to take advantage of a bobble by Mitch Haniger after his looper dropped into shallow right in the fifth inning, but Drury was thrown out at second.
Adell saved a run in the sixth with a running shoestring catch on a sinking liner by Jorge Polanco with a runner on second to end the inning.
“Defensively, his game has gotten together since we left spring training,” Washington said of Adell. “Whatever he does out there defensively, I am not surprised because of the work he puts in and the way he’s been playing.”
Ward continued to struggle at the plate. He went hitless in five at-bats, including 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position, and struck out three times to drop his batting average to .160 since May 31.
He also has just three home runs and 10 RBIs in the past 36 games.
Ward came up with runners in scoring position his first three at-bats and couldn’t produce in the No. 3 spot.
The bases were full with one out in the second when Ward grounded into a double play, and he struck out with runners on first and second in the fourth, when every other player in the Angels’ lineup had already produced at least one base hit.
He also struck out to end the ninth with Schanuel on second base.
“We gave our best guy in the lineup the opportunity to make a difference and it just didn’t work out in his favor tonight, but I would like to have him in all of those situations,” Washington said. “He just didn’t come through.”
WILLIE WALK-OFF
HALOS WIN
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Willie Walk-Off with @CarrlynBathe
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WILLIE CALBOOM TIES THE GAME
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Wash talks about the win
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BIG catch by Jo Adell
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