Mariners flounder, founder, lose 3-2

the sea claims many fishermen

The sea is a special thing. It has a call to it that cannot be denied. Its gentle waves, its black depths beckon with their beauty and horror. On a scientific level, the ocean is just an incredibly vast collection of water, but on a realer, more human, level, it is far more.

Perhaps that is why so many of us, even landsman, have a fascination with it. Even here, in our city whose name contains the very word “sea,” we are surrounded on all sides but water. And when we partake in decidedly land based activities, such as baseball, we name our team “Mariners” after many of the people who gave this city its identity in the early days.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but George Kirby threw a quality start. It was a little rough going in the first when, after just 3 pitches, a 1 out double from Bryan De La Cruz and a follow up infield single from Josh Bell, Kirby had to contend with runners on the corners. But George buckled down and got Jesús Sánchez to pop out to Cal. He then gave up a 100mph fly ball to Jake Burger, but Julio snagged it with a running catch to end the inning and escape the jam.

After that, Kirby was able to reel in the next 14 Marlins in a row. It wasn’t easy fishing, though, as he gave up several hard hit balls in the air that were thankfully flagged down by Julio, Haniger, and Robles in the outfield. That included this incredible play from Julio:

But it wasn’t quite enough. In the bottom of the sixth, George gave up solo home runs on back to back pitches, tying the game at two. With two swings, De La Cruz and Bell were able to get back at Kirby and do what the Marlins had been threatening to do all game. Kirby came out again for the 7th and pitched a clean inning, but the damage was done. It was yet another quality start, but not enough for the win.

Those home runs only proved to be tying because The Mariners were able to manufacture a couple runs off Trevor Rogers at the start of the game. In the top of the first, J.P. skonked a baseball 103 mph into center field for a leadoff single, then grabbed second with a stolen base. Julio tore up a baseball with a 107 mph grounder and moved J.P. over to third with a single of his own. Finally, Mitch Garver was able to bring J.P. in by hitting a ball deep to right field. Not enough to go out, but enough for a sac fly.

That 1 run lead was doubled in the second. Ty France led off the inning by working a full count walk. Two flyouts later, Ryan Bliss came up to bat with two outs and promptly did this:

Incidentally, Bliss had a 3-3 game today, and proved to be a real bright spot in this lineup. Maybe he’s turning it around after his slow start.

That lead held until the 6th when Kirby gave up those two home runs mentioned above. The game stayed tied long enough to force extra innings, which, these days, gives teams a free runner on 2nd base. This gimmick changes the mentality of extra innings and is bad for the sport. It was also bad for the Mariners today. Tyler Locklear pinch ran for would-be ghost runner Ty France. He was able to move 90 feet closer to home, but Dom Canzone flew out to end the inning.

With the Mariners caught flat aback in a strong wind and Jake Burger on second base, Tim Anderson hit a ground ball single into left. Dom Canzone came up throwing and fired into Cal at home, beating Burger to the plate. But the ball took a bad bounce and Cal wasn’t able to come up with it. Burger scores, Marlins win, ballgame.

And so today the Mariners found themselves caught in a storm and dismasted. In doing so, they joined the ranks of an untold number of past sailors. The history of sailing is written in the blood of those countless souls who died in search of food and wealth. In 1889, a terrible storm wracked the east coast of England and took the lives of nearly a hundred sailors. In 2017, Hurricane Harvey brought the sea down on the Texas coast, flooding cities, destroying countless fishing boats and homes, and taking 107 lives.

And yet still, the sea provides. The maritime communities that find themselves battered by wind and wave always find a way to rebuild and come back. We take what the sea gives us, and we stand back up.

The Mariners set out again tomorrow.