For an offense that was supposed to add more contact and on-base ability this off-season, it was a disappointing showing from the Mariners on Opening Day in front of a sold-out (as announced by the Mariners) crowd. The Mariners hitters combined for 14 strikeouts, scoring all their runs on solo homers. They only had two non-dinger hits: two doubles, one from Brendan Donovan and one by Randy Arozarena (that probably should have been scored as a single stretched to a double with some shaky play from the Guardians outfield).
Initially, it looked like the Mariners were going to be able to outmaneuver the Guardians, despite Logan Gilbert surrendering a first-inning home run to rookie Chase DeLauter, who pounced on a slider from Gilbert and took him deep to put the Mariners in an early hole.
“I was probably leaning too much on not walking [DeLauter] there,” said Gilbert postgame. “I just didn’t rip it like I usually do, a true slider.”
But Brendan Donovan was right there to pick up his teammate, making some history in his first plate appearance as a Mariner. This is the first leadoff home run on Opening Day in Mariners history:
“That’s a lot of prayers answered right there,” said Donovan postgame, who admitted he was trying to lean the ball fair when it came off his bat.
Marine layer? More like Mariner layer, as in the second Dominic Canzone proved he didn’t leave his power behind in Arizona, either, blasting this go-ahead run at 108 mph.
But that was the last time the Mariners were in the lead in this game. Guardians starter Tanner Bibee was able to keep the Mariners quiet, striking out seven over his five innings of work before being forced out in the sixth without throwing a pitch with what was later announced as right shoulder inflammation.
Logan Gilbert, while not the most efficient with his pitches, was able to match Bibee until the top of the fifth. He suffered a bad-luck weakly-hit leadoff single off the bat of Rhys Hoskins, but then gave up a double to Daniel Schneeman on a slider that didn’t slide enough to put runners on second and third with no outs. Brayan Rocchio then punished a terrible cutter that wound up dead red into the right field corner for a two-RBI double that put the Guardians ahead 3-2.
Gilbert relied on his cutter as the most often used of his secondary pitches, second only behind his four-seamer, while burying his slider in his arsenal. The fastball, which started out 95-96, was down to 94
But again, Luke Raley picked up his teammate, assuring Logan could be handed no worse than a no-decision with a game-tying solo shot in the bottom of the fifth. Raley continues to look like his 2024 self instead of the injury-ravaged 2025 version and it’s great to see
Both teams turned to their bullpens in the sixth. Tanner Bibee came out to pitch the sixth, but left shortly after throwing his warmup pitches with what was announced as right shoulder inflammation
The Guardians took the lead back in the seventh against Gabe Speier, again utilizing their brand of high-contact baseball to create traffic on the bases. Brayan Rocchio nubbed a single off a slider at the bottom of the zone, and Chase DeLauter ambushed a first-pitch sinker that caught too much plate for a single of his own. José Ramírez then doubled on a slider that was located approximately at his shoetops, sending it deep into the gap and scoring both runners, then to add insult to injury stole third base before Speier was able to
Again, it was Canzone pulling the Mariners back into it, seizing the MLB home run lead (for today, at least) with his second homer of the game, rudely greeting former Mariner Shawn Armstrong in the seventh with this titanic blast:
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“Heaters down the middle,” smirked Canzone when asked what he was looking for on these homers. “And they were just kind of in the honey hole, down and in.” (Hello Honey Hole sandwiches, have I got a pitch for you.)
Casey Legumina also had to deal with some traffic against the pesky Guardians, walking Rhys Hoskins on a pitch that Cal should have challenged for a strikeout looking and giving up an ambush first-pitch single to Gabriel Arias. Brayan Rocchio then apparently his pant leg got nicked by a sweeper, loading the bases, but Legumina wiggled out of trouble with a beautiful pitch sequence to the uber-pest Steven Kwan, getting the contact-oriented Kwan reaching after sinkers up and away before burying a changeup for Kwan to swing over. In a game that maybe didn’t have a ton to get excited about aside from Canzone’s big day at the plate, let us pause a moment for Casey Legumina striking out Steven Kwan.
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It was Legumina’s first-ever Opening Day start and he arrived at the park in a sharply tailored cobalt blue suit. When I complimented him on it, he smiled and said, “Thanks. It’s my Opening Day suit. I’ve been waiting three years to wear it.”
Cooper Criswell got dinged up by a solo home run in his outing, again the victim of the rookie DeLauter, who demolished one of Criswell’s cutters to lead off the ninth, but rebounded to strike out José Ramírez on a changeup at the edge of the plate. He then walked former Coug Kyle Manzardo but was able to get Bo Naylor chasing after a changeup for a weak-contact double play, neatly fielded by Criswell. If those are the two non-leverage arms those are two acceptable outings from Criswell and Legumina.
The pitching leaking six runs isn’t the path to winning baseball for any team, let alone the Mariners, but the issue tonight was the offense, which just wasn’t able to click all night, putting up disjointed at-bats. Cal Raleigh struck out to lead off the eighth, once again not using his challenge despite the pitch looking like it landed outside. Postgame, Dan Wilson reaffirmed that his hitters do have the green light to challenge and they will “remind the guys as much as we can about using the challenges” (which in Dan Wilson language is about as stern a rebuke as you will get).
“It is new for everybody, and I think it doesn’t jump to the forefront of your mind all the time when you’re in the box. But it’s part of the game now and something we will use.”
One player who isn’t panicking after tonight’s game is Brendan Donovan, who said the focus is on quality at-bats and earning a little “dot” in Kevin Seitzer’s notebook to represent a quality at-bat: “chase as many dots as possible.” Sounding eerily like his new manager, he praised this group’s ability to not quit, fighting for every at-bat.
“I know we didn’t get the win,” Donovan said, “but it’s cool to show that this group can flip it on a time at any time.”
“I’m excited.“
Sometimes excitement is a blue suit you don’t get to wear and then one day you get to take it out of the closet. The Mariners will seek their first win of the season tomorrow at 6:40 with George Kirby on the mound.
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