Mariners Mondays – The Opening Nights
Dustin Ackley hit a home run on Opening Day in Japan last season.
Mariners Mondays is back on ROOT SPORTS with a look back at the two Opening Nights of 2012 – in Tokyo and in Oakland.
Mariners fans got an early wakeup call on March 28th when the Mariners and Oakland Athletics squared off in the Tokyo Dome. Game time for bleary-eyed Seattle fans was 3am PST. They were not disappointed. Ichiro put on a show for his countrymen with four hits, Dustin Ackley homered and singled in the go-ahead run in the 11th inning, and Felix Hernandez combined with two relievers on a six-hitter. The Mariners won the game 3-1.
A week later, on Friday, April 6th (after a quick trip from Tokyo to Arizona), the Mariners and A’s squared off again, this time at the Coliseum in Oakland. Chone Figgins and Ackley each had three hits, and Kyle Seager singled twice and drove in a pair of runs to help the Mariners beat the A’s 7-3. Jason Vargas had a solid start scattering five hits over 5.1 innings to earn his first win of the season.
Highlights of both games will air tonight (Monday, January 7) on ROOT SPORTS starting at 7:30 pm (check your local listings).
On January 14, Mariners Mondays looks back at two pitching gems from the 2012 season.
Mariners Spring Training Update – Day 30
Day 30 / Monday, March 12, 2012 / 16 Days ‘til Opening Night in Tokyo (March 28 vs. Oakland) / 32 Days ‘til Opening Night in Seattle (April 13 vs. Oakland)
Weather:
First pitch at game time was 74° at Peoria Stadium.
Tweet of the Day:
Mariners commercials debut tomorrow morning. Meet Dustin's Rocky-esque new trainer and more. lockerz.com/s/191940829
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Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) March 12, 2012Mariners vs. Rangers:
Miguel Olivo hit a go-ahead 3-run home run in the sixth inning and Jesus Montero extended the lead with a 2-run double in the seventh as the Mariners came from behind to beat the Texas Rangers 6-4 in Cactus League play Monday afternoon in front of 8,917 fans at Peoria Stadium. Right-hander Blake Beavan went 5.0 strong innings, his longest out of the spring, allowing just two earned runs on three hits while striking out two. Vinnie Catricala hit his second home run of the spring, nearly reaching the tents behind the grass berm beyond the 340-foot mark down the left field line.
Miguel Olivo at SS:
Catcher Miguel Olivo was bouncing around the diamond this morning, leaving his usual spot behind the dish and venturing out to the bases. He began at first base taking throws from third baseman Alex Liddi and Vinnie Catricala and then moved over to second base to work on double-play feeds from second baseman Munenori Kawasaki. After completing the workout, Olivo told 710 ESPN Seattle’s Shannon Drayer that it was the most fun he has had all spring.
Mariners Commercials Unveiled Tomorrow:
The Mariners will unveil their award-winning commercial spots tomorrow, releasing five commercials including A Seattle Welcome (Jesus Montero, Brandon League, Jason Vargas), Impressions (Brendan Ryan, Mike Carp, George Sherrill, Kyle Seager, Chone Figgins, Ichiro), Mickey Loves You (Dustin Ackley, Robby Thompson, Jeff Datz), Nobody’s Perfect (Felix Hernandez, Eric Wedge) and Timber (Justin Smoak, Casper Wells, Franklin Gutierrez and Miguel Olivo).
Mariners Minor League Photo Day:
Mariners minor leaguers went through the same photo drill (on a much smaller scale) that the Major Leaguers went through on February 21st. In total, 180 minor leaguers lined up for their turn in front of the camera.
Mariners All-Access:
Mariners All Access airs tonight at 7:00 p.m. PT on ROOT Sports (replays at 10:00 pm). The 30-minute show is dedicated to game highlights from today’s game vs. the Rangers. Here are some highlights to look forward to in tonight’s show:
- Highlights of the Mariners in action today vs. Texas
- We look at the mutually beneficial competition Kyle Seager and Chone Figgins and how each player is helping the other.
- Bill Krueger and Dave Valle let us know if the Rangers will have a World Series hangover after coming within 1-out of the title
- Plus the M’s talk about their first time in a Major League clubhouse.
Cactus League Report:
The next Cactus League Report is tonight broadcasted live from Salty Señorita from 7-9 pm…the show will be hosted by Rick Rizzs, Mike Blowers and Shannon Drayer…scheduled guests include GM Jack Zduriencik, Justin Smoak, Alex Liddi, Trayvon Robinson, Jesus Montero, Michael Saunders, Tom Wilhelmsen and ESPN.com’s Jim Caple.
What Time Is It?:
To avoid any further start time confusions, Arizona and Seattle are now in the same time zone…Arizona does not observe daylight saving time.
On Tap Tomorrow (3/13):
Opponent: at Milwaukee Brewers
Location: Maryvale Stadium
Time: 1:05 p.m.
Pitching Match-up: RHP Hector Noesi (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Zack Greinke (0-0, 2.25)
Radio: The game vs. the Brewers will be broadcast on 710 ESPN and the Mariners Radio Network. You can also follow via MLB’s Gameday.
Upcoming Probable Pitchers:
3/13 at MIL (1:05 p.m.) – RHP Hector Noesi (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Zack Greinke (0-0, 2.25)
3/14 vs. KC (7:05 p.m.) – RHP Kevin Millwood (0-1, 7.20) vs. RHP Felipe Paulino or RHP Aaron Crow
3/15 vs. SF (7:05 p.m.) – RHP Erasmo Ramirez (1-0, 0.00) vs. LHP Barry Zito
Mariners Media Monday
Today is a busy day in Mariners camp, and there are a lot of ways for you to follow all the action.
MLB Network 30-in-30:
The MLB Network does camp reports from all 30 Spring Training Camps. The series begins today from beautiful Peoria, Arizona, and focuses on the Mariners. Harold Reynolds spent two days in camp (Saturday and Sunday), interviewing Chone Figgins, Justin Smoak, Michael Saunders, Jesus Montero, Felix Hernandez and Brandon League. Shawn Kelley gave them a tour of the complex, and Dustin Ackley took grounders with Harold. The show airs on the MLB Network at 5 pm Eastern (2 pm in Seattle), and will be replayed, so check your local listings.
MLB.com Video Highlights:
Each spring we send video highlights and interviews back to TV stations and national media outlets. This year we are utilizing and FTP feed (no satellites) and hopefully you’ve noticed more highlights during the evening news! The great people at MLB.com have been producing daily highlights utilizing this video. Here are links to a few recent videos. Be sure to bookmark the video page on Mariners.com.
Cactus League Report:
The Cactus League Report will air from the Salty Señorita tonight from 7-9 p.m. at the Peoria location. Rick Rizzs, Dave Sims and Shannon Drayer will host the 2-hour show, and fans in the Valley of the Sun are invited to attended the radio show and meet the hosts and guests. Scheduled guests include Manager Eric Wedge, pitching coach Carl Willis, shortstop Brendan Ryan, catcher Adam Moore, third baseman Vinnie Catricala, infielder Nick Franklin, Mariners Hall of Famer Jay Buhner and Mariners.com beat writer Greg Johns. Fans can listen to the show in Seattle on ESPN 710 Seattle from 7-9 PT, and here is a link to listen online via Mariners.com.
Mariners Mondays:
Tonight on Mariners Mondays at 7:30 pm on ROOT SPORTS, right after Mariners All Access from Peoria, AZ. Tonight, three thrilling comeback wins are featured.
First up, April 11, as the Mariner erase a 7-0 deficit against the Toronto Blue Jays and win the game 8-7 on a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth by Luis Rodriguez. The rally was just shy of the Club record, which was an 8-run comeback against the Angels in 1996.Justin Smoak is the hero from the second game, May 31, 2011 against the Baltimore Orioles. His three-run homer in the 8th sent the Mariners home with a 3-2 win, the Mariners 11th win in 13 games.
Luis Rodriguez once again strikes gold in highlights of the third game. September 14 against the New York Yankees, the score is tied 1-1 into extra innings. Rodriguez sends Mariners fans home happy when he led off the 12th inning with a solo homer for the Mariners 2-1 win.
- JE
Cactus League Report & Mariners Mondays
Cactus League Report:
The Cactus League Report makes its Salty Señorita debut tonight from 7-9 p.m. at the Peoria location. Rick Rizzs, Dave Sims and Shannon Drayer will host the 2-hour show, and fans in the Valley of the Sun are invited to attended the radio show and meet the hosts and guests. Scheduled guests include Tony Blengino, Robby Thompson, Forrest Snow, Danny Hultzen, Shawn Kelley, Kyle Seager and Larry Stone from the Seattle Times. Fans can listen to the show in Seattle on ESPN 710 Seattle from 7-9 PT, and here is a link to listen online via Mariners.com.
Mariners Mondays:
Tonight on Mariners Mondays at 8pm on ROOT SPORTS, the Mariners turn on the offense.
The program includes highlights of two games from last August, both featuring some timely hitting by Mike Carp.
First up, August 29, Mariners vs. Angels. The Mariners and Angels are tied in the 8th inning at 3-3. Dustin Ackley, who already had a couple of hits and RBI, lead off the inning with a double. Carp sent the first pitch he saw into the Hit It Here Cafe in right field for a two-run homer. Final score, Mariners over Angels 5-3.
Mike Carp hit a 2-run home run vs. the Angels into the Hit it Here Cafe in right field Aug. 29, 2011. (Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
Ichiro also had two doubles and extended his hitting streak to a season high 12-games.
Rookie Tom Wilhelmsen got the win with one inning of relief.
Highlights of the second game, August 31 (again against the Angels), again featured some late inning heroics by Carp.
The Angels held a 1-0 lead behind the outstanding pitching of Dan Haren. Felix Hernandez is also pitching well, but the offense is stalled. In the 8th inning (again), the Mariners rally with two outs when Franklin Gutierrez and Ackley hit back-to-back singles to end Haren’s night. Carp stepped up to the plate against reliever Scott Downs and drilled a two-run double to the base of the wall in left-center field.
Felix held the 2-1 lead, got the win and a complete game, his fifth of the season, and 18th of his career.
Next week on Mariners Mondays, Big Comebacks.
- RH/JE
Hot Stove League and Mariners Mondays
Big offense is the theme for this week’s Mariners Mondays (7:30pm on ROOT SPORTS™). Each week through March 5, ROOT SPORTS is highlighting big games from the 2011 season, helping to tide baseball fans over until Spring Training gets underway in earnest.
The Hot Stove League show will be hosted by Shannon Drayer and Matt Pitman. Fans can listen locally in the Puget Sound region on 710 ESPN Seattle and over the Internet on Mariners.com. Guests for the show are scheduled to include:
- Hitting Coach Chris Chambliss
- Catcher Miguel Olivo
- OF Casper Wells
- RHP Aaron Heilman
- ESPN.com writer Jim Caple
- Mariners Vice President of Marketing Kevin Martinez (talking about the 35th anniversary events and what the club has in store for the 2012 edition of the famous commercials).
Here is a teaser for the Mariners Mondays games that will be highlighted tonight on ROOT SPORTS™:
Tonight, moments of Biblical proportions (as in the old joke “In the Big Inning…”). Let’s go back to June 5, Mariners vs. Tampa Bay Rays. The Mariners have taken two out of three from the Rays, with the final game of the four-game series on tap. The big hit of the game is a tie-breaking three-run homer by Miguel Olivo in the 8th inning. But the game was notable for a couple of two-run triples, one of baseball’s most exciting hits. One by Ichiro in the 3rd inning, and in a bittersweet moment, Greg Halman’s 2011 debut with a triple in the 7th. Halman had three hits in the game.
Miguel Olivo connects on a 3-run home run June 5, 2011 vs. Tampa Bay. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
The next series of highlights are from the August 24 game at Cleveland. Two games were rained out in May, so the Mariners and Indians made up one of the games on the Mariners return trip in August (the second game would be made up in September… see below). The Mariners won the first game of the series 3-2 on March 22, split the doubleheader on March 23 with a 12-7 win in the nightcap, and bashed out another 16 hits on their way to a 9-2 win in game four. The offensive star of the day was rookie Kyle Seager, who was 4-for-4 with three doubles and a single. Seager’s college teammate at the University of North Carolina, Dustin Ackley, also got in on the act going 3-for-5. And Willy Mo Peña had a good game with a two-run home run, a double and a single. Oh, and Felix Hernandez had another good outing striking out 10, the 17th time in his career he reached double digits.
For the third game of the evening, the Mariners 12-6 win over the Indians on Sept. 19 is highlighted. And wouldn’t you know it, it’s raining. (What is it with bad weather for our games in Cleveland?) Starting pitcher Charlie Furbush got plenty of run support in the 12-6 rain-shortened game for his first win in over a month. He had a career-high 8 strikeouts and was buoyed by the Mariners 9-run third inning, including Alex Liddi’s first MLB homer, and a Mike Carp grand slam. By the way, Liddi’s homer was the first by an Italian-born player since Reno Bertoia hit one in 1961.
Mike Carp connects on his first career grand slam Sept. 19, 2011 at Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
- RH / JE
Hot Stove League and Mariner Mondays
Mariners pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in Peoria, AZ this weekend, and what better way to get ready for the baseball season than with the Hot Stove League on the radio and Mariners Mondays on ROOT Sports.
The Hot Stove League show will be hosted by Rick Rizzs, Shannon Drayer and Matt Pitman. Fans can listen locally in the Puget Sound region on 710 ESPN Seattle and over the Internet on Mariners.com. Guests for the show are scheduled to include:
- Director of Player Development Chris Gwynn
- Third Base Coach Jeff Datz
- Infielder Kyle Seager
- Right-handed pitcher Steve Delabar
- USA Today baseball writer Paul White
Kyle Seager will be a guest on tonight's Hot Stove League Radio Show. (Getty Images)
And here is your Mariners Monday teaser that will air tonight on ROOT SPORTS™ (7:30pm PST) and feature the games of May 27 and May 28 vs. the New York Yankees.
Anytime you can beat the Yankees is a good day. When you do it in back-to-back games, even better.
Let’s set the scene – May 27, the Mariners are a game under .500 and preparing to open a big homestand with a three-game set against the Yankees. It’s a Friday night, and there’s always a buzz in Safeco Field when the Yankees come to town. When it was over, the Mariners had overcome a three-run deficit, Franklin Gutierrez had made another of his highlight-reel catches, and the Mariners bullpen held off the always powerful Yankees offense.
Rookie pitcher Michael Pineda got the start – probably the biggest start of his young career (after his Major League debut). But he struggled through 5.0 innings. He gave up just three hits and struck out five, but he didn’t have command of his fastball and walked five. The Mariners bullpen (David Pauley, Jamey Wright and Brandon League) combined for four scoreless innings. Pauley got the win and League notched his 13th save.
Look for highlights tonight of Franklin Gutierrez’s stunning catch of Nick Swisher’s deep drive to right center in the fourth inning.
The next night, Felix Hernandez took the mound. He pitched well and looked to be in line for a win, until the Yankees tied it at 4-4 in the 7th after a misjudged fly ball to right turned a Curtis Granderson out into a triple, scoring Derek Jeter from second.
The game stayed tied into the 12th inning (kudos again to the Mariners bullpen), when Mariano Rivera strode in for career appearance 1,001. Game over, right? Not so fast.
Rivera got a quick out on a broken bat grounder. Then Justin Smoak blooped a single to left, and Jack Cust dropped a double just inside the left field line, sending Smoak to third. Luis Rodriguez pinch ran for Smoak, Guti was intentionally walked to load the bases, and Adam Kennedy stepped in. On an 0-1 pitch, Kennedy put one into center field, just in front of Granderson, to score Rodriquez, who was greeted at home with a good beating by his teammates.
Pauley, who worked two innings of relief, got the win, his second in a row. The Mariners 5-4 win was the first loss Rivera had suffered since September 11, 2010.
The game was notable for another reason—four fans, including a streaker, ran onto the field late in the game. All were “escorted” off the field and spent part of their Memorial Day weekend as guests of King County.
- RH
Hot Stove League and Mariner Mondays
Believe it or not, Mariners pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in Peoria, AZ on Feb. 11, and not that we are counting or anything, but that is just 19 days away!
Fans have a couple of options to get their Mariners fix tonight with the Hot Stove League from 7-9 p.m. on 710 ESPN Seattle and the latest installment of Mariners Mondays on ROOT SPORTS.
The Hot Stove League show will be hosted by Rick Rizzs, Shannon Drayer and Matt Pitman. Fans can listen locally in the Puget Sound region on 710 ESPN Seattle and over the Internet on Mariners.com. Guests for the show are scheduled to include:
- Executive Vice President and General Manager Jack Zduriencik
- Catcher Jesus Montero (newly acquired in trade today)
- Pitching Coach Carl Willis
- Relief Pitcher Shawn Kelley
- ESPN.com Writer Jim Caple
- Mariners Marketing Managers Michael Ferguson and Mandy Lincoln (discussing FanFest)
Tonight on Mariners Mondays on ROOT SPORTS highlights of a couple of fun games in August. August 13, the Mariners roughed up the Red Sox Josh Beckett for five runs in the first inning, starting with Ichiro’s 34th career leadoff home run. The August 15 game features include a comeback win over the Blue Jays with two home runs by Mike Carp, including back-to-back homers with Casper Wells in the 8th inning, and pitcher Tom Wilhelmsen’s first Major League win. Mariners Mondays starts at 7:30pm on ROOT SPORTS.
- JE
