Woo Day #1
So far, the 2025 Mariners look an awful lot like the 2024 Mariners, who looked an awful lot like the 2023 Mariners. For as much as the squad’s identity feels so familiar, more has changed than you’d think. The 2025 lineup’s only carryovers from 2023 are Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh, J.P. Crawford, and Dylan Moore. For me, this highlights a couple of things. First, the central guys do a lot for how one perceives a team identity. Second, we’re only three games into the new season.
My read of the vibes is that, while it’s all tempered by “to be sure, it’s still very early,” the dominant feeling is ready to pounce on a Same Old Mariners narrative. It’s quite a look for the fans to be booing the players on day three. I certainly understand where it’s coming from, but also, I felt pretty OK about this team just 100 hours ago. When I look at the Diamondbacks and Red Sox, who I think of as being two of the five best teams in baseball, the fact that they’re both 1-2, like Seattle, doesn’t rattle my assessment at all. It’s hard not to conclude that the battle between the id and ego will be a difficult one this season.
Lineups
JP Sears, who was a strikeout machine in his time as a Mariners farm hand, has settled into a career as a poster child for what a fourth starter looks like. It’s pretty disconcerting then that the A’s are actually using him as their fourth starter rather than his being the team’s best pitcher. In any event, with the southpaw on the mound for A’s, we’ll see Seattle’s right-handed bats today, which includes giving the switch-hitting Polanco the day off.
Bryan Woo, who grew up an A’s fan, has the lowest ERA of any pitcher against the A’s in MLB history (min. 30 IP). He’ll look to take that 0.57 down even farther this afternoon.
Game Info
First pitch: 1:10 PT
TV: ROOT, also streaming on the app!
Radio: 710 KIRO and mariners dot com
Unis: The Sunday creams make their first 2025 appearance
This Day in Mariners History
1993: Charlie Brown hits his first home run in 40 years.
2023: On the first day of the pitch clock, Seattle’s fans wreak havoc on the eminently hateable James Karinchak, leading to a game-winning Ty France blast. The game also gave us my favorite pitch of the past five years. Get well soon, Matt.
News & Captain’s Log
Speaking of Matt Brash, he and Troy Taylor have departed Arizona and joined the team. They’ll be throwing on the side for a couple days before their rehab assignment. Dan Wilson discussed Matt Brash getting into the last Cactus League game:
He was just tickled to be out there. And it was great to go take a ball from him and see him smile as big as he did. Again, you just can’t underestimate the amount of work and patience it takes when you come back from an injury like that — to get himself to where he is and to get himself into a game. That felt like an accomplishment, I’m sure.
Also
I would just like everyone to see this fantastic shot from last night’s game by Getty’s Stephen Brashear.
Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images