HOUSTON -- Back in San Francisco in early April, Julio Rodríguez was the first person by Victor Robles' side, the first to see what had happened, the first to signal for medical help.

It was an ugly scene. Robles, the Mariners' sparkplug right fielder, had just made a superhuman catch crashing into the netting in foul territory, and he needed to be carted off the field because of what was later revealed to be a left shoulder dislocation and a humeral head fracture.

Fast-forward to Saturday night, and Rodríguez was right there again, closest on the scene as Robles sprawled out for another all-out effort in right fielder.

This time, Robles made the catch and got up with a smile, lobbing the ball into second base for a game-saving and game-ending double play in a wildly entertaining 6-4 victory over the rival Houston Astros that gives the Mariners control of the AL West entering the final week of the regular season.

"Victor came out of nowhere and just took it," Rodríguez said. "That was crazy. That was crazy. That's the only way I can explain it, you know. ...

"He's going to live in my head for the rest of my life, probably -- that picture of him just flying and catching that ball."

What a scene it was, Mariners teammates hugging and backslapping Robles as he jogged into the infield.

Mariners closer Andrés Muñoz, who had hit one batter and walked another to put the tying run on base, looked as stunned as anyone when Robles caught the pop up off the bat of Carlos Correa.

Catcher Cal Raleigh thought the ball was going to drop down for a hit. Robles, as he usually does, was wearing pink spikes and pink long sleeves under his jersey.

"I was watching Julio the whole time and I kind of saw him pull up a little bit and I was like, 'Damn, it's going to get down,'" Raleigh said. "Out of nowhere, a flash of pink -- just Vic. Unbelievable."

Houston's Jake Meyers had taken off from second base while the ball was in the air, assuming it would drop. The M's casually completed the 9-4-6 double play to end the game.

Robles wound up missing nearly five months as he recovered from the shoulder injury, but he said he hasn't changed his mindset in the outfield because of it.

"I'm always going to dive," he said. "That's just the way I'm going to defend."

Robles was suspended by MLB for a bat-throwing incident last month while he was on his rehab assignment in Triple-A Tacoma. He's back now, and back contributing in a meaningful way.

"It's honestly a privilege and an honor of coming back after that big injury," Robles said. " ... I'm the type of person that, even when something negative happens, I try to look at things in the positive way, and I'm just glad I'm back and able to help the team."

Victor Robles' game-saving catch has Mariners in awe