It was ”Turn Ahead the Clock” night at Safeco Field Marshall Newhouse Jersey , including back-to-the future sleeveless uniforms with shirt tails out and some shiny silver shoes and helmets.

The Seattle Mariners feel like their future is now, earning a season-best sixth consecutive victory by beating the Kansas City Royals 6-4 on Saturday night.

Ryon Healy had four hits, including a home run and three RBIs. Felix Hernandez (8-6) earned the win despite back stiffness so severe that it was difficult for him to bend over.

”It was real bad,” Hernandez said. ”I put a heat pad on it between innings and I couldn’t sit (in the dugout). I was standing up the whole game.”

The stiffness showed in the first inning when Hernandez gave up four consecutive hits, including a three-run homer to Mike Moustakas. But Hernandez managed to pitch four scoreless innings afterward.

Did he consider skipping his start?

”Come on, man,” he said. ”I had to go out there. But the ump wouldn’t let me wear my hat backwards (on the uniform night). ”He said it was too much of a distraction with my jersey out and the earrings. I said. `Look, this is the future.’ `’

Edwin Diaz pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 31st save of the season.

Jason Hammels (2-10) lost his fifth straight, allowing all six runs on 13 hits in six innings.

”Mechanically, the first few innings I was a mess,” Hammels said. ”That’s a tough lineup. I felt like I was throwing batting practice today.”

So did Hernandez in the first inning, but Seattle manager Scott Servais said they were just hoping to get five innings out of him.

”The ball was up in the first because he wasn’t extending due to the tightness in his back,” Servais said. ”He wasn’t finishing his pitches, but he got through it. The key was keeping us in the game, which he did, and we took advantage of it.”

The Mariners (53-31) are 22 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2003 season. They have gone 16 consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance, the longest dry spell in professional sports.

”We’re just living the dream now,” Hernandez said. ”I love these guys. It’s the best team we’ve had in my 14 years. It’s fun.”

Kansas City manager Ned Yost said he knew Hernandez would get better as the game progressed.

”Good pitchers, if you’re going to get them, you better get them early because they’re going to settle in,” Yost said. ”Hernandez settled in in the second.”

The Mariners quickly got back in it. Mitch Haniger made it 3-1 in the bottom of the first when he doubled to the gap in left-center to score Jean Segura, who singled.

The Mariners took the lead with three runs in the bottom of the second. Healy homered to left-center to tie it at 3 and Mike Zunino hit a sacrifice fly.

The Mariners added two more runs on five hits in the third inning to take a 6-3 lead.

It was another impressive win for the Mariners on a night of uniforms that were supposed to represent the year 2027. Dee Gordon wore his hat backward and Nelson Cruz showed off his giant biceps in the sleeveless attire.

”Dee put so much effort into it Harrison Phillips Jersey , so it was his night,”’ Healy said. ”But Nelson and those arms. My goodness. That’s shear intimidation when he doesn’t wear sleeves.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: Yost said RHP Ian Kennedy was feeling better Saturday after experiencing tightness on his left side when he left the game Friday after five innings. Yost didn’t day whether Kennedy would make his next scheduled start . INF Chester Cuthbert (lower back strain) went 0 for 2 with a walk and a run scored in his first rehab assignment game at Triple-A Omaha on Friday night. Cuthbert appeared in 30 games and was hitting .194 before the injury on May 16.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Brad Keller (2-2, 2.25) will make his sixth start of the year Sunday. Keller is coming off the best start of his rookie season when he pitched seven scoreless innings and allowed only two hits in a 2-0 victory over the Angels Monday.

Mariners: LHP James Paxton (7-2, 3.65) will make his 18th start of the season Sunday. Paxton leads the team in strikeouts this season with 134 in 103 2/3 innings. He has six double-digit strikeout games in 2018 and his 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings are fourth-best in the AL.

Shortly after franchise quarterback Carson Wentz left the field with a torn ACL, Malcolm Jenkins gathered his teammates following a comeback win that clinched a division title. He gave an emotional speech, imploring them to believe they can win the Super Bowl without the guy who got them to that point.

The Philadelphia Eagles are two wins away from their goal. First up is the NFC championship game Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

”Carson being out of this, that sucks,” Jenkins told the team in the locker room after a 43-35 win at the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 10. ”But dig this, we set this up for whoever (is) in this room, that’s who we ride with, man. We said, `we all we got, we all we need.’ Believe that…. We got bigger goals … championships and that’s it.”

Wentz is the franchise quarterback and a leader by example. Jenkins, the two-time Pro Bowl safety, is the in-your-face leader. He’s the first one to address the group after coach Doug Pederson gives his post-game speech.

”He’s embraced it and guys look forward to it,” Pederson said. ”He’s got a lot of profound messages. He speaks from the heart and he speaks truth. So that’s been a positive.”

Jenkins says he always has a purpose when he speaks.

”I kind of try to analyze the situation of where we are as a team, do a little bit of reflection, but make sure that it’s not just an emotional response to keep everybody in perspective,” he said. ”A lot of times I’m talking to myself to be most honest.”

As the underdog Eagles (14-3) prepare to host the Vikings (14-3), Jenkins reflected on his inspirational message following Wentz’s injury.

”Knowing that the media was getting ready to come in right after and those seeds of doubt, words of doubt were getting ready to come, I wanted to make sure there was a message of confidence and perspective before they had to actually address the media Chris Ivory Jersey ,” Jenkins said. ”Obviously, we all hurt for Carson. It’s a huge blow to the team, but in no way does it change our goals. No way does it change our demeanor. Nothing’s changed, and that was kind of the message.”

Wentz’s injury was the latest and biggest blow for a team seeking its first NFL title since 1960. The Eagles lost nine-time Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters, versatile running back/return specialist Darren Sproles, playmaking linebacker Jordan Hicks, and special-teams captain Chris Maragos to season-ending injuries.

”We always focused on the guys we had in the huddle,” Jenkins said. ”Losing the amount of guys that we’ve lost and facing a lot of the adversity that we have, to have that mentality that we are sufficient, that the guys we have in this room can get it done, no matter what’s in front of us, has kind of been the story line of this team. Obviously I think everybody has kind of embraced that mentality.”

Jenkins spent his first five seasons with the New Orleans Saints and won a Super Bowl his rookie year. He joined the Eagles in free agency four years ago and has started every game, developing into one of the league’s best players at his position.

”Malcolm is always in the right place as a safety,” former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky told The Associated Press. ”He just takes a level of confidence away from you because you can’t manipulate him, you can’t get him to do what you want him to do.”

Jenkins is not only a team leader, but has earned the respect of his peers. He’s very active in the community and established The Players’ Coalition to help advance players’ activism efforts. Jenkins led a meeting that included NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and teammates with police, policy leaders and public defenders in Philadelphia to discuss criminal justice reform.

”I think that we can play a major role in changing the narrative from this argumentative, combative narrative to one of solutions, one that is aimed at bringing people together, because that’s what unique about this game,” Jenkins said.

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