J.P. Crawford’s contract will be up after this season, and the young phenom expected to take his spot — Colt Emerson — already has arrived in the major leagues for the Seattle Mariners.

But that hasn’t bothered Crawford. The veteran hit two home runs Friday night — the first multi-homer game of his career — made a potential game-saving defensive play, and scored the winning run as the Seattle Mariners defeated the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks 7-6 in 10 innings.

“That’s J.P. He comes up big in the big moments,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said.

The three-game interleague series will continue Saturday night in Seattle. The Mariners have won four straight games to get to .500 for the first time since April 29 while the Diamondbacks had their five-game winning streak snapped on Friday.

It’s been an interesting couple of weeks for Crawford, the Mariners’ longtime shortstop. Emerson, widely presumed to be the team’s future at the position, was called up from Triple-A Tacoma on May 17 to fill in for injured third baseman Brendan Donovan.

When the 20-year-old Emerson homered in his second big-league game, it was Crawford who greeted him at the dugout and handed him the celebratory trident.

And it was Crawford who went into Wilson’s office that same weekend and volunteered to start taking grounders at third base in anticipation of Emerson eventually taking over at shortstop.

“I want to be a Mariner for life,” said Crawford, in the final season of a five-year, $51 million deal. “And I think that’s the best way to do it.”

Crawford, 31, has also unselfishly helped mentor 22-year-old second baseman Cole Young and Emerson. Crawford and first baseman Josh Naylor took Emerson shopping when the team was in Kansas City last week, helping him buy a suit.

“It means everything,” Crawford said of his mentorship role. “When I came up (in Philadelphia), I really didn’t have anyone to show me the ropes until I got over here, and Dee Gordon and Kyle Seager took me under their wing. And I made a promise to myself to be like them.”

Crawford homered leading off the bottom of the first inning Friday and added a two-run shot in the fifth, giving the Mariners a 5-1 lead. In the top of the 10th, with one out and the automatic runner at third and the infield drawn in, Crawford made a diving stop of a one-hopper hit up the middle by Corbin Carroll. Crawford checked the runner at third and threw out the runner at first.

After the Mariners got out of the inning unscathed, Crawford was the automatic runner at second and scored on Randy Arozarena’s one-out double.

“They’re good hitters … between Crawford, (Julio) Rodriguez and (Josh) Naylor, they’re top customers, and they put it on us,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said.

Arizona’s Nolan Arenado was hit in the left elbow by a pitch in the ninth inning and immediately retreated to the clubhouse in obvious pain.

“There’s a certain nerve in that elbow, as I’m learning … and it just crumbles you. The whole arm goes numb,” Lovullo said. “But he’s going to be in the lineup (Saturday). I’ve already made that decision, and if he can’t make it (Saturday), we will know around midday, but for right now, he wants to play, and I’m going to put him in there.”

Saturday’s game will pit a pair of right-handers in the Diamondbacks’ Ryne Nelson (2-3, 4.65 ERA) against the Mariners’ Bryan Woo (4-3, 3.82).

Nelson beat visiting Colorado 9-1 on Sunday as he allowed one run on six hits over eight innings. The former University of Oregon standout will face the Mariners for the first time in his career.

Woo had won three straight starts before an 8-6 loss Sunday in Kansas City in which he allowed four runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings. He is 0-1 with a 6.55 ERA in two previous starts against Arizona.

–Field Level Media

Chile’s Joaquin Niemann carded a 4-under 66 in the third round on Saturday to catch Talor Gooch for the lead at the LIV Golf Korea tournament.

Niemann posted six birdies and two bogeys to move to 9-under at Asiad Country Club in Busan, South Korea. Second-round leader Gooch’s round of 69 featured 17 pars and a lone birdie at the par-5 15th hole.

Zimbabwe’s Scott Vincent is one shot behind the leaders in solo third place after round of 67 with four birdies and a bogey. Charles Howell III and Australia’s Cameron Smith are tied for fourth at 7-under after both shooting 68.

Three golfers are lurking three shots back at 6-under, including Dustin Johnson after delivering Saturday’s low round with a bogey-free 64. He is tied with New Zealand’s Ben Campbell (66 on Saturday) and defending champion Bryson DeChambeau (71), whose eventful day included four bogeys and three birdies.

DeChambeau’s Crushers GC sit atop the team standings at 16-under, one shot ahead of Gooch’s OKGC and four up on Smith’s Ripper GC.

Eight of the top-10 golfers on the leaderboard have won at least one LIV Golf title. Niemann holds the tour record with seven titles, including five in 2025, but is looking for his first of the season.

Niemann rolled in three long birdie puts on Saturday, including a breaking 34-footer at the par-14 14th hole.

“Putter did behave a lot better today than the first two days, so pretty happy about that,” Niemann said. “It did love me a lot. I did love it a lot, too.”

Gooch, who has four LIV Golf wins, began his round with 14 consecutive pars.

“You’ve got to stay patient and just wait for your time and hope that it comes, and it unfortunately didn’t come much today,” Gooch said. “But that’s why we stay patient. Maybe tomorrow it’ll come.”

This will be Gooch’s 16th time playing in the final group at an LIV Golf event and the 14th time for Niemann. The last time they were both in the final group was at LIV Golf Boston in 2022, where Johnson prevailed.

Joining them in the last group is Vincent, who is filling in for HyFlyers GC captain Phil Mickelson and looking for his first LIV Golf title.

“Winning out here is not easy,” Vincent said. “I think just big picture-wise, just putting myself in this position is just great for me, try and get better and develop as a player.”

–Field Level Media

The rebuilding Chicago Bulls reportedly have expressed interest in BYU head coach Kevin Young for their head coaching vacancy.

ESPN reported Friday that “early conversations” with Young are part of a wide net being cast to replace Billy Donovan, who stepped down on April 21 after six seasons.

Chicago also parted ways last month with executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley. The Bulls finished 31-51 this season and missed the playoffs for the eighth time in the past nine seasons.

Young, 44, has guided BYU to a combined 49-22 record with two NCAA Tournament appearances since being hired in April 2024 after Mark Pope left to coach Kentucky.

The Cougars reached the Sweet 16 and finished No. 13 in the final poll in Young’s first season in Provo. They were ranked as high as No. 7 last season.

Young was an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns (2020-24) before taking over at BYU, including three seasons as the associate head coach. He was an assistant with the Philadelphia 76ers from 2016-20 and has been the head coach of multiple teams in the NBA G League.

–Field Level Media