SEATTLE — In six days, it will be the one-year anniversary of when a broken and lost Mike Zunino was sent to Class AAA Tacoma to finish out his 2015 season of misery and missed pitches to hit.

On this date a year ago, he had gone 0 for 3 with a walk and a strikeout to drop his batting average to .174 with 128 strikeouts in 340 at-bats. He was mentally fried and emotionally wrecked.

A year later, he delivered the most important hit — a three-run homer in the sixth inning — in the Seattle Mariners’ 7-5 win over the New York Yankees on Monday. His resurgence after spending the first half of the season in Tacoma might be the most important development of the Mariners’ late-season push for the postseason.

With a 2-2 count, Zunino showed the discipline and confidence to hit in the situation that was missing a year ago. He spat on a slider in the dirt from right-hander Anthony Swarzak as if it were his least favorite vegetable being handed him.

By forcing the count full, he got the pitch in the strike zone he was looking for — an 88 mph slider up at his belt. Zunino stayed on the pitch, driving a fly ball to right field. For many players, it’s a fly ball. But with Zunino’s freakish strength, the ball was driven five rows into the right-field seats for his ninth homer in 26 games.

His three-run homer erased a frustrating top of the sixth that saw the Mariners’ 3-2 lead — courtesy of a three-run homer from Kyle Seager in the fourth inning — turn into a 5-3 deficit.

The want and need for an extra inning out of their starting pitcher Cody Martin and a six-man bullpen with not every reliever available put the Mariners and manager Scott Servais in a precarious position.

Martin gave up a two-run homer to Gary Sanchez and a solo homer to Starlin Castro in a costly three-run inning that seemed like it was sending the Mariners to certain defeat.

Martin entered the sixth inning with the lead, but had also worked through the lineup twice with mixed results. Sanchez and Castro had provided the Yankees early offense off Martin with solo homers in the first and second inning, respectively.

So there was some familiarity and success in facing Martin for the third time in the game. And there was also the awareness that Martin did not possess the upper-level fastball to blow by them.

Martin gave up a one-out single to Jacoby Ellsbury, which prompted Servais to get Nick Vincent up and warming in the bullpen. Martin then fell behind 3-1 to Sanchez, which was less than ideal. Though a rookie, Sanchez came into the game with seven homers in 16 games. Sanchez jumped on a 3-1 fastball that measured just 88 mph, driving it over the centerfield wall for his second homer of the night and his ninth in 64 at-bats. Martin came back to strike out Didi Gregorious, but then Castro blasted a solo shot over the wall in center to make it 5-3.

But Seattle displayed some of the resiliency that has been noticeable this season, answering in the bottom half of the sixth and chasing starter and former Mariner Michael Pineda.

Robinson Cano led off the inning with a single for his third hit of the night. Seager drew a one-out walk to force Pineda from the game. Yankees manager Joe Giradi went matchups, using lefty Tommy Layne to retire Adam Lind and then going to Swarzak to face Zunino.

Nelson Cruz hit a solo home run in the eighth inning to give the Mariners a 7-5 lead.

Edwin Diaz worked a shaky ninth inning, putting two runners on base before securing the save.