After winning the American League West for the first time in 24 years, the Seattle Mariners had a first round bye and hosted two public scrimmages for fans to attend as they await the Detroit Tigers on Oct. 4.
Fans came out and supported the Mariners just as they have all season. A ticket limit of 5,000 was reached for the second scrimmage on Oct. 2. While the first scrimmage wasn’t sold out, fans still made some noise in support of the hometown team.
“Feeling the vibe in the building, even from a smaller cross section, was tremendous. I was thinking from a fan’s perspective how wonderful it would be to be that close and to see these guys up there,” Mariners Manager Dan Wilson said.
The Mariners are coming off getting swept aside by the LA Dodgers in the final series of the season, a series that was meaningless after a sweep of the Colorado Rockies. But this is a team that was peaking at the right time.
Staying sharp is ever important, especially against pitching staffs and lineups that are to come in the postseason. It wasn’t just Mariners players who were staying in form during the scrimmage. Players brought up for the postseason practice squad got a chance to play in T-Mobile Park. Outfielder Rhylan Thomas, who seemingly did nothing other than hit for the Tacoma Rainiers, started in centerfield for the “away” team.
Tacoma Rainiers teammate and Mariners number one prospect Colt Emerson was put on base and played an inning of defense in what could be his home for the foreseeable future. As he took the field, Ichiro Suzuki was standing over his left shoulder playing right field.
“You see him in spring training and he’s a legend. I can’t describe it good enough, but it is just cool. It’s really cool. Growing up playing baseball and just living out my dream is really cool,” Emerson said.
He was a pinch runner on second base, and a fly ball was hit to Ichiro in right field. Emerson did the correct base running, going halfway to third and retreating back to second. But he could have forced the Hall of Famer into reliving the past.
“I should have tested it. I should have tested that arm,” Emerson said.
Emerson is one of the more premier prospects in the Mariners organization and has skyrocketed through the minor league system, ending in Tacoma in just his second season of professional baseball.
“I’m so grateful for the opportunity, it’s such a great group. The guys have treated me so well. I am just so grateful for that. It’s just great, I can’t say enough,” Emerson said.
The Mariners welcomed fans with a pair of first inning home runs. Eugenio Suarez clobbered a three run home run to left center field off Emerson Hancock in the top of the first. In the bottom of the first, a very familiar face hit a home run of his own — Cal Raleigh hit a home run to right field off Eduard Bazardo.
Randy Arozarena cheers as Geno Suarez hits a home run in the first inning. Photo credit Ben VanHouten/Seattle Mariners
The rest of the scrimmage was pretty mundane. A couple of situational hitting scenarios coupled with teases of at-bats from Emerson, Thomas and Nick Raposo seemed to be the script of the scrimmage. But in the top of the would-be fifth inning, Dom Canzone was hit in the tricep area by a pitch from Troy Taylor. Wilson said he was fine after the game.
Randy Arozarena has the most playoff experience on the Mariners roster. Last season was the first time in his professional career that he missed playoff baseball. That took a toll on him and got him hungry for this postseason.
“This Saturday will be six out of seven years of my professional career (to make the playoffs). … I knew that I just had to mentally prepare this next season and that’s just what I did. I came with a positive mentality and try to give it my all for this season and now I’m back,” Arozarena said through translator Freddy Llanos.
In 2021, Arozarena was on the top seeded Tampa Bay Rays, who eventually lost to the Red Sox in the American League Divisional round. This year’s Mariners side is in a similar position as the ‘21 Rays. Arozarena sees these scrimmages and live game scenarios as a way to stay sharp.
“It definitely helps to stay in rhythm and see the ball. But I definitely think winning the division helps you. It is a lot better than the season ending and you continue to play. But these scrimmages help and just help you stay in rhythm for what comes next,” Arozarena said.
An energetic crowd took to T-Mobile Park at 2:00 p.m. on a Wednesday afternoon. Photo credit Ben VanHouten/Seattle Mariners
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