George Kirby allowed just two runs and struck out eight in five innings. Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh combined to go 6-for-10 with a home run and two RBI. Andres Munoz threw two scoreless innings. If I told you all of these things occurred in Game 1 of the ALDS, you, understandably, would've assumed that the Seattle Mariners took care of business against a Detroit Tigers team that was running out a bullpen game on the road. You, also, would've been incorrect.
Somehow, despite their stars playing like stars, the Mariners fell in Game 1 of the ALDS 3-2 in 11 innings. The series is far from over, but now, this same Mariners team many (myself included) had a deep run in them, will have to win three of their next four games, two of which will come against Tarik Skubal, and the other two of which will come on the road.
The Mariners are in trouble, and everyone but their stars is to blame.
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Mariners got nothing out of their non-stars
Raleigh could end up winning the AL MVP award — he had three hits. Rodriguez is the face of the Mariners franchise — he had three hits including a home run. Kirby is a star when healthy, and he looked very good on the mound outside of one mistake. Munoz is one of the best relievers in the American League, and he went above and beyond to complete two innings.
Their non-stars, though, simply did not show up. The non-Raleigh and Rodriguez hitters combined to go 0-for-28 with one walk and seven strikeouts. It's not even as if the surrounding players are non-factors - they include guys like Randy Arozarena, Josh Naylor, Eugenio Suarez and Jorge Polanco. They had several warning track shots, to be fair, but not being able to scratch out a single hit is inexcusable.
On the pitching side, mostly everyone showed up, but a leadoff walk and wild pitch by Carlos Vargas eventually led to the winning run scoring in the 11th. Vargas isn't a high-leverage option most of the time, but he made 70 appearances during the regular season and didn't have to face Detroit's big boppers. It's pretty inexcusable that he allowed the go-ahead run to score when taking that into account.
Mariners season is on the line after losing the game they had to have
It's hard to declare any Game 1 as a must-win, but it truly felt like the Mariners needed this game more than any other team in the Division Series. The Tigers collapsed down the stretch and were coming off a hard-fought three-game Wild Card Series against the Cleveland Guardians. They barely even made it to the playoffs, let alone to the ALDS. They were also relying on Troy Melton, a 24-year-old rookie with less than 50 big league innings under his belt, to start the game. On the flip side, the Mariners were one of MLB's hottest teams down the stretch and earned a first-round bye, so they were well-rested and had the good fortune of starting their postseason run at home.
Falling flat under the circumstances is unacceptable. Now, the challenge ahead of them to get past the Tigers looks daunting.
Game 2 will feature the best pitcher on the planet, Skubal, on the mound for the Tigers. Games 3 and 4 will take place at Comerica Park in Detroit. Game 5, if the series goes that far, will again have Skubal fully rested. They had a chance to take a 1-0 lead in a bullpen game at home, but now will have to win at least one Skubal start to advance.
In Game 1s across the league, we saw teams lose because the stars didn't show up. Seattle's stars showing up and the team still finding a way to lose might sting even more.