Bryan Woo carries a perfect game into the 7th inning as the Mariners top the Padres 5-2

SEATTLE (AP) — Based on how his warmup went, Bryan Woo was uncertain what kind of outing he was going to have.

He ended up flirting with perfection.

“I didn't feel great in catch. I didn't feel great in the bullpen, just kind of all over the place. And then you get out there and it just clicks," the Seattle pitcher said.

Woo took a perfect game into the seventh inning, Luke Raley had a two-run single and the Mariners beat the San Diego Padres 5-2 on Wednesday night.

J.P. Crawford added a two-run double as Seattle moved within 3 1/2 games of first-place Houston in the AL West by splitting a two-game series with the Padres.

Woo (8-2) retired his first 19 batters before Fernando Tatis Jr. lined a home run to left field with one out in the seventh. The right-hander's fastball caught too much of the plate and Tatis was able to keep it fair down the line to end the perfect game, no-hitter and shutout with one swing.

“It was a good pitch, good swing. Tip your cap,” Woo said.

Until that point, Woo was overpowering. Wearing specially designed shoes that included the image of wrestling star Ric Flair, the second-year pitcher relied on his fastball at the top of the strike zone to overpower the Padres.

Through six innings, Woo struck out four and never went to a three-ball count. The closest San Diego came to a hit was Manny Machado’s line drive that was caught by diving left fielder Randy Arozarena.

“His arm slot, the ball is jumping. He's got a nice, compact delivery, has an upshoot heater and the ball was getting to guys,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said.

Woo was pulled in the seventh after giving up a double to Jurickson Profar and walking Jake Cronenworth. Xander Bogaerts hit an RBI single to score Profar, but the Mariners escaped further damage.

Andrés Muñoz worked the ninth for his 20th save.

“What they do offensively is difficult and I think after about the first and second inning you could tell something special was happening. He had really good stuff,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said.

Woo pitched with a lead most of the night after Seattle scored three times in the third thanks in part to an error by Cronenworth, who dropped a potential double-play ball at second base. Cal Raleigh had an RBI single and Raley drove in a pair with a two-out base hit.

In the sixth, Crawford provided some cushion by driving a 3-2 pitch into the right-field corner to score Raley and Justin Turner.

Seattle nearly added on in the seventh, but Tatis robbed Arozarena of a homer with a leaping catch at the wall in right field. Tatis said he was hoping to rob Julio Rodríguez after the young Mariners star took one away from him last year.

“I said, ‘I wanted Julio, but I’m sorry, it was your turn,'” Tatis said.

San Diego starter Michael King (12-9) threw five innings and allowed only one earned run. He struck out six but lost for the third time in four starts.

ROSTER MOVES

San Diego catcher Luis Campusano was optioned to Triple-A El Paso due to a lack of playing time in the majors. Campusano, who was San Diego’s opening day catcher, was stuck behind Kyle Higashioka and Elias Díaz. Outfielder Brandon Lockridge and LHP Tom Cosgrove were recalled from the minors. LHP Martin Perez was placed on the paternity list.

UP NEXT

Padres: After an off day, San Diego opens a three-game series Friday in San Francisco.

Mariners: Begin a four-game series with Texas on Thursday. Bryce Miller (11-8, 3.18 ERA) will start the opener after throwing six shutout innings in his last start.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodríguez celebrates in the dugout after scoring on a two-RBI single by Luke Raley during the third inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond)

Seattle Mariners' Luke Raley follows through on a two-RBI single as San Diego Padres catcher Kyle Higashioka, left, looks on during the third inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond)

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond)

San Diego Padres first baseman Donovan Solano, center, catches a pop up by Seattle Mariners' Julio Rodríguez (44) as Rodríguez steps on the bag during the first inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond)

Seattle Mariners players celebrate after defeating the San Diego Padres in a baseball game, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond)

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Michael King throws to first base in an attempt to get Seattle Mariners' Josh Rojas out during the third inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond)

Seattle Mariners' Victor Robles slides into second as San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth loses the ball on a missed-catch error during the third inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond)

San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr., right, celebrates at home after hitting a home run off Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo as catcher Cal Raleigh, left, looks on during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond)

The shoes of Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond)

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond)

Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Bryan Woo reacts after missing a strike call on San Diego Padres' Jake Cronenworth during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond)

AVIGNON, France (AP) — A 71-year-old French man admitted in court Tuesday that for nearly a decade, he repeatedly drugged his unwitting wife and invited dozens of men to rape her while she lay unconscious in their bed.

His wife of 50 years, who has divorced him since his arrest, also got to speak, telling the court that she feels completely betrayed.

In a trial that has gripped France and raised awareness about sexual violence in the home and beyond, Dominique Pélicot told the court that he also raped his wife, Gisèle Pélicot, and that the 50 men standing trial alongside him understood exactly what they were doing.

“Today I maintain that, along with the other men here, I am a rapist,″ Dominique Pélicot testified. “They knew everything. They can’t say otherwise.”

Pélicot’s testimony marked the most important moment yet in a trial that has shocked the world. Although he previously confessed to investigators, his court testimony will be crucial for the panel of judges to decide on the fate of his co-defendants, who range in age from 26 to 74. Many of them deny having raped Gisèle Pélicot, saying her then-husband had manipulated them or that they believed she was consenting.

Many following the case also hope his testimony might help explain why Dominique Pélicot would subject the mother of his three children to such unconscionable abuse.

Gisèle Pélicot has become a hero to many rape victims and a symbol of the fight against sexual violence in France for agreeing to waive her anonymity in the case, letting the trial be public and appearing openly in front of the media. She shows up every day, passing through the courthouse security line behind men accused of raping her. As she left court during a break Tuesday, supporters brought her flowers.

After days of delay due to what his lawyers said was a kidney stone and urinary tract infection, Dominique Pélicot, seated in a wheelchair, testified that the charges against him are true. With his ex-wife looking on from the packed gallery and his voice trembling and barely audible at times, he started a long day of testimony trying to explain childhood traumas that he said scarred and molded him into the person he became.

“One is not born a pervert, one becomes a pervert,” Pélicot told the judges after recounting, sometimes in tears, being raped by a male hospital nurse at age 9 and being forced to take part in a gang rape at age 14.

Pélicot also said that for years, his father sexually abused a young girl his family had taken in, and that his brother later said their father had invited other men to do the same.

He regretted that his parents didn't let him continue his studies after he turned 14. He said that around that time, he tried to persuade his mother to leave the house with him, but “she never wanted to.”

“I don’t really want to talk about this, I am just ashamed of my father. In the end, I didn’t do any better,'' said Pélicot, who faces 20 years in prison if convicted.

After he spoke about his difficult upbringing, Gisèle Pélicot was given the opportunity to address the court.

“It is hard for me to hear this. For 50 years, I lived with a man. I couldn’t imagine even one second that he could have committed acts of rape,″ she said. “I trusted this man entirely.″

The two looked at each other, him from behind the dock’s glass window and her from the witness stand.

“I am guilty,” he told her. “I regret everything I did. I ask you for forgiveness, even if it is unpardonable.”

Asked if she wanted to respond, Gisèle Pélicot turned and left the stand.

When asked about his feelings toward his ex-wife, Dominique Pélicot said she didn't deserve what he did.

“From my youth, I remember only shocks and traumas, forgotten partly thanks to her,” he said in tears.

At that moment, Gisèle Pélicot put on her sunglasses.

Later, Dominique Pélicot said, “I was crazy about her. She replaced everything. I ruined everything.”

A supermarket security guard caught Pélicot in 2020 secretly shooting video up women’s skirts, according to court documents. During a search of his house and electronic devices, police found thousands of photos and videos of men engaging in sexual acts with Gisèle Pélicot while she appeared to be unconscious in bed.

With the recordings, police were able to track down most of the 72 suspects they were seeking, but not all.

In addition to the photos and videos of Gisèle Pélicot, investigators found photos of the Pelicots' daughter, Caroline Darian, and two daughters-in-law that were surreptitiously taken while they were in their underwear, getting undressed or taking showers, according to authorities.

While her mother has stayed remarkably calm throughout the trial, Darian walked out of the courtroom Tuesday as her father was being asked about photos of her that were found on his laptop.

″Excuse me, I’m going to vomit,″ she said angrily before rushing out. She has written a book about what happened to her family, called ″And I Stopped Calling you Daddy.″

After retiring, the Pélicots moved from the Paris region to a house in Mazan, a small town in the Provence region.

When police officers called Gisèle Pélicot in for questioning in late 2020, she initially told them her husband was “a great guy,″ according to legal documents. They then showed her some photos. She left and later divorced her husband.

Since Dominique Pélicot’s arrest, other cases have surfaced. He was fined after being caught shooting video of a women’s crotch in 2010 and required to see a psychologist. Gisèle Pélicot has said she never knew about this incident.

Under French law, the proceedings inside the courtroom cannot be filmed or photographed. Dominique Pélicot has been brought into the court through a special entrance that's inaccessible for the media, because he and some other defendants are being held in custody during the trial and can't be filmed. Defendants who are not in custody have been arriving at the courthouse wearing surgical masks or hoods to avoid having their faces filmed or photographed.

Among those hoping to secure a seat to watch the Tuesday's proceedings was Bernadette Tessonière, a 69-year-old retiree who lives a half-hour drive from Avignon, where the trial is taking place.

“How is it possible that in 50 years of communal life, one can live next to someone who hides his life so well? This is scary,” she said.

Gisele Pelicot arrives at the Avignon court house, in Avignon, southern France, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. Her ex-husband admitted in court that for nearly a decade, he repeatedly drugged his unwitting wife and invited dozens of men to rape her while she lay unconscious. (AP Photo/Diane Jantet)

Gisele Pelicot arrives at the Avignon court house, in Avignon, southern France, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. Her ex-husband admitted in court that for nearly a decade, he repeatedly drugged his unwitting wife and invited dozens of men to rape her while she lay unconscious. (AP Photo/Diane Jantet)

Gisele Pelicot exits the Avignon court house, in Avignon, southern France, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, after her ex-husband admitted in court that for nearly a decade, he repeatedly drugged his unwitting wife and invited dozens of men to rape her while she lay unconscious. (AP Photo/Diane Jantet)

FILE - Police officers walk in the Avignon court house prior to the trial of Dominique Pelicot, in Avignon, southern France, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly, File)

FILE - Gisele Pelicot speaks to media as she leaves the Avignon court house, southern France, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly, File)

FILE - Gisele Pelicot, left, arrives in the Avignon court house, in Avignon, southern France, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly, File)

FILE - Gisele Pelicot, left, arrives in the Avignon court house, in Avignon, southern France, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly, File)