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Closer Eddie Guardado notched his 17th save of the season, aided by a highlight-reel home run-saving grab by Hiram Bocachica. (Jim Bryant/AP)

• Randy Winn's RBI double  56K | 350K
• Bocachica robs a HR:  56K | 350K
• Bucky Jacobsen homers:  56K | 350K

The ultimate payback is to hit a home run.

That's exactly what Mariners designated hitter Bucky Jacobsen did on a sultry Sunday afternoon at Safeco Field, but Seattle needed a clutch hit from its hottest hitter and a terrific catch to subdue the Indians, 7-5, before 37,363 and garner a split in the four-game series.

Randy Winn delivered a two-out, two-run double to left field in the eighth inning for the decisive hit, and center fielder Hiram Bocachica went high above the wall in right-center in the ninth inning to prevent what would have been the Indians' third home run of the game and 11th of the series.

"That was a huge play, but there were a lot of big plays today," manager Bob Melvin said. "What Bucky did was big and Winn's hit obviously was a big one."

Jacobsen singled home a run during the Mariners' two-run first inning and came to bat again in the third inning with two outs and none on. Indians right-hander Scott Elarton's first pitch -- a fastball -- sailed behind Bucky and bounced to the backstop.

Some hitters might have charged the mound and started a ruckus.

"I looked at him to let him know he wasn't going to intimidate me," Jacobsen said. "I don't know how he missed me with that pitch. You'd think that if someone wanted to hit someone, it would be easy to hit me."

And then, with the count 3-and-1, Elarton threw a breaking pitch that Jacobsen sent into the temporary bleachers in center field for his second home run in his third big league game.

"There's nothing better than when you wind up running around the bases," Jacobsen said.

"That was pretty impressive," Melvin added. "He has a great attitude. This is his first shot in the Major Leagues and he's going to enjoy it. He's going to go up there to get the most out of every pitch of every at-bat and is playing for the moment. That's what we all need to do more."

Reliever Shigetoshi Hasegawa (3-3) picked up the win despite surrendering a game-tying home run to pinch-hitter Victor Martinez in the eighth -- robbing left-hander Jamie Moyer of his seventh win of the season and first in a day game.

Closer Eddie Guardado notched his 17th save of the season.

The four-game series following the three-day All-Star break introduced Jacobsen to the big league scene and the cherubic slugger from Hermiston, Ore., has put some excitement into the start of the second half.

He is 5-for-8 (.625) with two home runs, five RBIs, and has scored four runs. You don't see fans leave their seats when he walks to home plate.

"He definitely has added some excitement," Melvin said. "We haven't had a figure quite like him. He's Bunyanesque and Casey at the Bat, and certainly has the fans of Seattle behind him. Being successful from the start adds to that."

The 28-year-old, who spent more than seven years in the minor leagues before finally getting a chance to play a game at its highest level, is living and loving every moment of the journey.

Judging by the way the Indians pitched to him -- and around him -- in Sunday's finale, Bucky had their attention. He walked on four pitches in the fifth inning and was hit by a pitch in the seventh, triggering the immediate ejection of Indians reliever Rick White and manager Eric Wedge.

The umpires already had warned both benches to refrain from hitting anyone.

The Elarton pitch that nearly hit Jacobsen in the third inning got the umps' attention and when Moyer inadvertently plunked Jody Gerut with a breaking ball following Lou Merloni's home run in the sixth, plate umpire Marty Foster issued a warning.

"They throw behind (Jacobsen) and there is no warning, and Jamie hits a guy (with a one-run lead) and there is a warning. It just doesn't make any sense," Melvin said. "They obviously have their reasons, but Eric (Wedge) was of same opinion that Jamie wasn't trying to hit him on purpose.

"But once you have set the precedent, if anyone else get hit you pretty much have to throw them out of the game."

So, when Jacobsen was hit in his left side with a pitch in the seventh inning, both White and Wedge were ejected -- the second for Wedge in the series.

"We definitely were not trying to hit the guy," Wedge said. "We were trying to come in with a fastball. That's why I was so upset when they gave the warning. Our guy got hit and I was upset just like Melvin was upset because I know that we're put in a situation where, if we come inside and hit them, their job is to throw him out and that's what happened."

Jacobsen went quietly to first base.

"White got me right in the fat, which doesn't hurt," he said. "I guess that's one of the benefits of being overweight."

Jacobsen scoffed at the suggestion that being thrown at a couple of times is a sign of respect.

"I don't think I have done enough in my illustrious three-day career to earn respect," he said. "I just going out there and have run into a couple of balls here and there. It's not a respect thing. It's just part of the game. Sometimes you get hit on purpose and other times you get hit by accident."

He said the pitch that got him probably was more of an accident than the one that missed him in the third inning.

Jacobsen said charging the mound never entered his mind either time.

"When I was younger, if I thought someone was throwing at me or behind me or too close to me, I would try to hit a home run on the next pitch and usually ended up with an ugly strikeout," he said. "So I just calmed myself down."

Bocachica's circus catch that robbed Casey Blake had much to do with the outcome.

"I didn't think it would go over the fence, but the ball just kept going," Bocachica said. "I was able to time it pretty well and got lucky. The ball was in the web of my glove."

Two fans also tried to catch the ball, but Bocachica got to the ball first.

"I didn't even see them at the time, but saw them on the replay," he said. "I would tell them not to reach for a ball like that and thank you for not (catching) it today."

It was Winn's clutch, opposite-field hit in the bottom of the eighth inning that was even more critical to Seattle's 34th win of the season.

Catcher Dan Wilson reached on a one-out single to center field and after pinch-runner Miguel Olivo advanced to second on an infield out and Ichiro Suzuki received an intentional walk, Winn greeted reliever Bob Howry with a long drive that eluded Indians left fielder Matt Lawton.

It was Winn's first hit of the game and he's now hit safely in 14 of his last 17 games, going 25-for-74.

Jim Street is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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