CINCINNATI -- If there were jitters for Ben Williamson on Tuesday night, he didn¡¯t necessarily show them when stepping into a big league batter¡¯s box for the first time.
Making his MLB debut in the Mariners¡¯ 8-4 loss at Great American Ball Park, the third baseman ripped a 105.8 mph single through the left-side hole in his first career at-bat, overcoming an 0-2 count, reaching with two outs and eventually scoring via an RBI single from Dylan Moore.
Williamson struck out in his second plate appearance but grinded through a seven-pitch battle with Reds lefty Nick Lodolo, after again falling into an 0-2 count. And he lined out in his final at-bat after working a six-pitch sequence against reliever Alexis D¨ªaz, before being pinch-hit for by Luke Raley in the eighth when Mariners manager Dan Wilson unloaded his lefty hitters off the bench with Seattle trailing.
¡°I've been refining my approach a lot with two strikes, trying to get the ball as deep as possible,¡± Williamson said. ¡°And that just gave me a lot of confidence, knowing that even against the best arms, I'm still able to have that approach, where I'm able to foul tough pitches off and try to see if I can get a good one to hit.¡±
Williamson had 14 family and friends in attendance, including his parents, his Little League coach and his closest childhood friend, who made the eight-hour drive from Charlotte -- all of them racing to Cincinnati after his promotion on Sunday morning back in Seattle.
¡°My arms were numb at the [dugout¡¯s] top step,¡± Williamson said. ¡°But I got in the on-deck circle and kind of just started focusing on my breathing and locked back in. I just realized it was the same game.¡±
Wildly enough, at least given that his glove is largely what led to him being called up, Williamson didn¡¯t have a putout at the hot corner. But the Mariners expect him to solidify that spot in the short term, specifically against left-handed pitching. The 24-year-old is the Mariners¡¯ No. 13 prospect by MLB Pipeline, arriving with a reputation as their best defensive Minor Leaguer.
With switch-hitting Jorge Polanco continuing to nurse a sore left side that¡¯s precluded him from batting right-handed and playing the field, Williamson figures to get a good look. There¡¯s no denying that he also represents a defensive upgrade at third base, regardless of personnel that the Mariners have deployed at what¡¯s been their most in-flux position.
Lefty-hitting Miles Mastrobuoni took over at third base after Williamson departed and has seen more action there against righties over the past few games, as his hard-hit contact has elevated. Moore has also manned the position for seven starts, but his utility skill will now probably be used elsewhere with Williamson up.
Moore made his first start in right field since Sept. 23, 2023, then he went on to manufacture all four of Seattle¡¯s runs, three via his fourth career multihomer game. But Moore could only do so much on a night where Luis Castillo was tagged for six runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings, though his four walks were just as costly, as three came around to score.
Cincinnati¡¯s Gavin Lux and Austin Hays were the primary culprits vs. Castillo, each ripping a pair of run-scoring knocks against him -- the dagger being Hays¡¯ three-run homer as part of a four-run fifth inning before Castillo could record his first out in that frame.
Reliever Carlos Vargas was warming at the time, but Wilson opted to stick with his workhorse despite two walks and a single to lead off the frame. Castillo was then relieved by Collin Snider, who recorded five clean outs.
¡°It's a tough [decision] there,¡± Wilson said. ¡°I think 'The Rock' comes through in a lot of those situations. We've seen it time and time again. And I think he was still at about [88] pitches, something like that. So there was still some left in the tank.¡±
The Mariners paid for another bases-loaded jam in the eighth, when Gregory Santos surrendered a one-out double, then walked three in a row, at which point Eduard Bazardo was summoned to escape the jam, though not until after surrendering a run-scoring groundout to Elly De La Cruz.
Vargas, who¡¯s emerged as more of a leverage option, never wound up getting into the game; nor did Gabe Speier, who¡¯s been a lefty specialist against sluggers like De La Cruz.
How the bullpen has been deployed has been -- and will remain -- a component worth watching in this season¡¯s early stretch.