Baseball’s back — all right! It’s that time of year when all the other sports goings-on take a break, and we relish the crack of the bat, peanuts, and beer…mmm…beer. But I digress.
[Editor’s note: For those NOT wearing baseball-coloured glasses, of course, it’s playoff time in the NBA and NHL, ramp up time for the Women’s World Cup, and right in the middle of the bloody season for MLS. *evil eye to John* But I digress.]
When last we left our heroes, Spring Training was still in progress. Since then, the Mariners started the season with a great series at home against the Angels… and then delivered a very disappointing road trip featuring some surprising (and painful) implosions on the part of the starting pitching rotation. This was… not expected.
Fortunately the Ms arrived home and put King Felix on the mound to turn things around. The King was as good as gold, fanning 12 and stopping a four-game losing streak.
Sunday afternoon, Mariner starter James Paxton, he of such high hopes before the season, took the mound against the Rangers. After two decent innings, Paxton completely melted down in the third, giving up seven runs. Things were… not going well.
Fortunately, Rangers starter Ross Detwiler didn’t have his best stuff either, and the Ms got three runs back on a massive yard strike by Nelson #boomstick Cruz — his second home run of the game. Yes, in the third inning. As I said, neither pitcher brought his best stuff.
Cruz has eight home runs already this season, more by himself than four other Major League teams can claim for their entire rosters. So there’s that. Cruz also struck out three times after hitting those two home runs. That’s going to be an important part of our story later.
Things were back and forth into the ninth, when the Mariners found themselves down two runs facing Neftali Feliz. Long-time Mariners fans know that this team has struggled mightily to come back in difficult situations, and surely there were many who left the stadium. Many a radio was turned off; TV channels throughout the Pacific Northwest were changed. That tension, even this early in the season, is a bit much. It’s one thing when you think your team can do it — but can these Mariners pull it off? You want to believe, and stay True to the Blue, and all the other marketing slogans — but you’ve been burned so many times before. And it’s so early in the season, for a lot of people it’s just hard to generate that kind of NO MATTER WHAT, WE LOVE YOU MARINERS emotion.
Anyway, We should back up here for a moment to set the scene. Feliz came on in the eighth. The Rangers closer had never given up a run to the Mariners in his career. Ever. Not once.
The Ms were down 10-6 as their half of the eighth began. After Tanner Schleppers walked the bases full, Seattle native Keone Kela came on for the Rangers… and promptly issued a walk to Robinson Cano, forcing in a run. {Editor’s note: My head is spinning with these candidates for the All-Name Team. Tanner SCHLEPPERS, for reals?] But after that, Kyle Seager had a beautiful single to right centre field, scoring Seth Smith and Rickie Weeks. And just like that, at last, the tiger was off the Mariners’ backs with Feliz. But it’s still 10-9. Up steps Nelson Cruz. Mariners need one more to tie or two to take the lead.
Cruz strikes out swinging for the fences.
So enter the 9th. Mariners are down 10-9. They’d managed to get to Feliz in the eighth, but could they do it again in the ninth? Remember, before this game he’s never given up a single run to the Ms, and tonight Seattle has burned him thrice.
Brad “Crazy Legs” Miller gets things started pinch-hitting for Willie Bloomquist, and he finds himself on base. Hope begins bubbling quietly in the background.
Austin Jackson gets the crowd going with a great at-bat, fouling off multiple pitches before planting a single in right. Seth Smith draws a walk. In steps Austin Jackson, who led the game off with a home run back in the first. Jackson fouls off a slew of pitches, then singles into right field to score Miller. We’re now tied at 10. That hope is now getting dangerously close to the boiling point. All y’all who turned off your radio and switched over to Big Bang Theoryare going to be sorry…
Rickie Weeks steps in, needing only a deep fly ball to bring Seth Smith home from third. Weeks delivers the fly ball, but it’s too shallow for Smith to score. Then Feliz intentionally walks Robinson Cano to get to… Nelson Cruz. I mean, really? The man has already hit two home runs in the game. Dare we ask for more?
Didn’t we just seen him, you ask? Why yes, yes we did. So here he is, game on the line, tied at 10, bases full. Cruz chases a slider, then takes two balls, and then fouls one back. Count is two and two.
On the next Feliz pitch, Cruz makes contact, knocking the ball down the left side, through the infield, driving Smith home for an 11-10 walk-off win.
Baseball is a crazy game. You can lose 1-0 one day and win 15-2 the next. You just never know. But baseball’s back, and this Mariners team, despite a record below .500, has already impressed with determination and unwillingness to give up.