And yet, considering the season-long saga, Ausmus knew it was going to be.
Francisco Rodriguez, who took the loss after Ben Gamel's go-ahead single in the ninth, knew it would be.
"I think the results speak for themselves," Rodriguez said.
The results Rodriguez referred to were the back-to-back hits after he retired Nelson Cruz to begin the inning. Kyle Seager hit a 2-1 pitch to left-center for a one-out double. Gamel got a changeup at the knees and over the plate and golfed it into right-center for the go-ahead RBI.