The worriers among Mariners fans had plenty to fret about Friday, and the skeptics could point to warning signs that foretell trouble ahead.
It was, as manager Scott Servais said with a look of relieved bliss on his face, a game the Mariners have seen before, and will see again often.
If you want to nitpick this 2-1 Seattle win at Target Field — and that’s become an art form with a team that has gone two decades between playoff appearances — you could certainly point to the Mariners’ inability to capitalize on numerous scoring opportunities.
But you could also be encouraged by the fact the Mariners had a constant stream of base runners, indicative of what they believe will be a much deeper lineup.
Mitch Haniger, who by his own admission left spring training still searching to find his swing, crushed the second pitch he saw over the left-field wall for a two-run first-inning home run that held up.
Ray was sharp from the beginning — an eight-pitch first inning, all eight of them strikes — and just willed himself through seven innings.
“Robbie sets the tone, I think, in everything he does,” Servais said.
In right field, Haniger said he had no idea if the ball was going to be caught — the swirling wind had been playing havoc with fly balls the entire game.
“I’d be lying to you if I said I knew off the bat it was going to ,” Winker said.
The Mariners see Crawford as a foundational piece, one of their core players whom they are counting upon to build a brighter future.
As the Mariners headed into opening day, general manager Jerry Dipoto said, “This is as excited as I’ve ever been for the start of the season.
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