Game Number One

The Seattle Mariners first spring training game occurred on Wednesday March 4. They beat the San Diego Padres in ten innings 4-3. If the Mariners had not scored it would have ended in a tie. Both teams did not intend to go beyond the 10^th inning.  The Mariners primarily played with players that will start in the minor leagues.  The second game that is set for today March 5 will be with more veteran players starting off. Later in the game they will go with younger players as well. Chris Taylor started the game at shortstop. He is possibly the only position player who played that will start the season in the majors. He is in battle with Brad Miller for the shortstop position. Unless there is an injury likely only Taylor or Miller will start with Seattle.

Tijuan Walker started the game pitching for the Mariners and pitched for two innings. He gave up one hit to the leadoff batter Maybin who went on to steal second base. He went as far as third base but was stranded there. The second inning Walker got all three batters out.  Walker looked good in his first outing. He is competing with Roenis Elias who is starting second game for the fifth spot in the starting rotation.

DJ Peterson who was the top pick of the Mariners in 2013 hit a home run in the first inning to left center field. It was a very nice home run and was the first run of the game. 2014 was his first full season in professional baseball. He started in high Single A and ended the season in Double A. He is expected to start this season in Triple A. He had a total of thirty-one home runs and over one hundred runs batted in for the season between Single A and Double A. He started this game being the designated hitter than in the ninth inning went to third base. He is expected to play both third base and first base this season.  Most likely when he comes up to play for the Mariners he will play first base. Main reason he will be a first baseman is that Kyle Seager is the third baseman for the Mariners and he signed a long term contract with the Mariners during the off-season.  The main reason Peterson will play some third base is just in case Seager gets hurt and is out for some time. The home run was the only hit Peterson got in the game.

The Mariners won the game in the bottom of the tenth when minor league catcher Tyler Marlette first got a single to left field. First baseman Patrick Kivlehan hit a ball to right field and the right fielder was unable to stop the ball on the hop and the ball went to right field fence. Marlette was able to score from first to win the game. Kivlehan actually started the game at third base but was moved to first base when first baseman Ji-Man Choi was injured in the ninth inning. Shortstop Tyler Smith who came into the game as a substitute for Chris Taylor earlier tried to throw the ball to first which would have ended the game; however, it was a very poor throw. Choi tried to make the catch but got injured on the play. He could be out for the season. Choi was expected to play the season in Triple A.

I look forward to give you all more updates on the Mariners in spring training. I hope that some of you have the same love of baseball as I do.