SEATTLE -- Opening Day was shaping up with an all-too-familiar -- and unfavorable -- feeling for the Mariners as they looked to turn the page on a frustrating 2024, until a pair of massive homers in the eighth inning propelled Seattle to an electric, 4-2 win over the A¡¯s that they hope will jump-start them toward better fortunes in ¡®25.
Randy Arozarena blasted a game-tying, 424-foot solo shot off reliever Jos¨¦ Leclerc that nearly reached the third deck, and after a Luke Raley walk, Jorge Polanco followed with a 413-foot, two-run dagger that completely flipped the game¡¯s script and helped All-Star Andrés Muñoz reach the finish line with his first of likely many saves.
The big blasts came on a night where the Mariners had just three hits to that point and gave Logan Gilbert zero runs of support over seven brilliant innings -- and after he labored through an injury scare when taking a 110.7 mph comebacker from Lawrence Butler off his backside in the third inning.
But the early shortcomings proved to be no matter, at least for one night, as the late rally offered what the club hopes is a glimpse to a more resilient offense.
Arozarena went yard in an 0-2 count and Jorge Polanco cleared the fence even at 2-2, yielding much more optimal two-strike results for a team that has been saddled with MLB¡¯s highest strikeout rate in each of the past two years. Yet it was a K that preceded those big moments, an 11-pitch battle from Cal Raleigh to lead off the frame, that actually might¡¯ve set them up favorably. Doing so helped grind out Leclerc, and the ensuing rally ultimately let the Mariners avoid All-Star closer Mason Miller.
¡°I'm confident in this offense and confident that they can get to anybody, but certainly, it's a little bit easier to get to the eighth-inning guy than is the ninth-inning guy,¡± Wilson said, ¡°and we took advantage of it tonight.¡±
There was also the momentum-seizing aspect of it all, via a massive bat spike from Arozarena that sent the ticketed 42,871 into a frenzy -- not to mention, the home dugout.
¡°When he pointed at us and did his stuff, I just felt really good,¡± Polanco said. ¡°It pumped me a little bit more to just go out there and I'm trying to focus on getting a good pitch to hit.¡±
Polanco, in particular, shined brightest, with two hard-hit singles earlier to finish 3-for-3 as he enters his 12th season looking to rebound from arguably his worst year.
After re-signing with the Mariners on a one-year, $7 million deal in January, Polanco was eased into action this spring following offseason surgery to repair the patellar tendon in his left knee. But he played more regularly down the Cactus League stretch, looking much more at ease and like the player who was a beacon of consistency over 10 seasons in Minnesota before joining the Mariners via trade in 2024.
¡°Way more comfortable,¡± Polanco said. ¡°It's better. I got a little bit of pressure out of my knee, and it just feels really good. I feel like I can do a lot more things hitting now.¡±
Polanco admittedly wished he could take back a sacrifice bunt in the sixth that advanced runners to second and third but also cost the Mariners their second out when they remained scoreless. Leadoff man Victor Robles also twice attempted a bunt in the seventh with runners on first and second and no outs. A passed ball on the second attempt allowed Ryan Bliss to race all the way home -- and in time -- but his foot elevated from the ground on his slide, and an A¡¯s challenge showed that he never touched the plate before being tagged out.
At the time, it looked like it could be a costly play, even though Robles tied the game on the next pitch with a sacrifice fly.
¡°You don't know what they're going to do and so you kind of have to weigh everything at that point,¡± Wilson said of Robles¡¯ bunt attempt. ¡°And that was one of the weirdest plays that I've seen. But it turned out OK for us.¡±
There might¡¯ve been a few Day 1 kinks to smooth out, the Mariners did so by eking out a win that fit for the Opening Day hype.