Game 1: Mariners vs. Oakland @ Tokyo

marc w · March 28, 2012 at 12:13 am · Filed Under Mariners 

Opening Day of 2012. I know it’s tougher to get excited about the game when it’s on at 3am, when we’ve got more spring training games to slog through and when it’s only March 27th. Er, 28th. But opening day is still opening day, and Felix is still Felix.

Here’s the first M’s line-up of the season:
1: Figgins (no, stay awake, it gets better)
2: Ackley (2b)
3: Ichiro! (RF)
4: Smoak (1B)
5: Montero (DH)
6: Carp (LF)
7: Olivo (C)
8: Saunders (CF)
9: Ryan (SS)
SP: KING FELIX

The M’s face off against Brandon McCarthy, twitter superstar and 2011 league leader in FIP. Yoenis Cespedes gets the start in CF, but hits 9th. Seth Smith, the OF acquired from Colorado for Guillermo Moscoso starts in the clean-up spot and plays DH. The name the A’s have selected to get the start today from their impressive collection of AAAA 1Bs is…Brandon Allen. Eric Sogard gets the start at 3B ahead of Josh Donaldson, which is funny because Eric Sogard gets an opening day start.
GO M’S! I NEED CAFFEINE!

UPDATE: This isn’t exactly news, but, for the good of the order: the M’s have moved Franklin Gutierrez and Adam Moore to the 15-day disable list.

Feel free to use the comments of this as the game thread, or follow along with Dave’s commentary in CoverItLive below.

Comments

93 Responses to “Game 1: Mariners vs. Oakland @ Tokyo”

  1. ZVAZDA on March 28th, 2012 3:56 am

    Nice thing about the XBOX coverage (probably all mlb.tv) is the lack of commercials. Can leave the room during the commercials and immediately be alerted when the game is back on by the addition of audio.

  2. zzyzx on March 28th, 2012 3:56 am

    ACKLEY!!!!

  3. MrZDevotee on March 28th, 2012 3:56 am

    Paul-
    OR, an Ackley!

  4. Slats on March 28th, 2012 3:56 am

    Ack Attack!

  5. Paul B on March 28th, 2012 3:57 am

    I don’t think Houston has an Ackley, either.

  6. MrZDevotee on March 28th, 2012 3:58 am

    Ichiro’s back! 2-for-2, all infield hits…

  7. texasmarinerfan on March 28th, 2012 3:58 am

    ACKLEY!

  8. MrZDevotee on March 28th, 2012 3:59 am

    Memo to Mr. Saunders and Mr. Ryan:
    When Ackley and Ichiro are coming up behind you, kindly refrain from RUNNING OUT OF AN INNING!

    Thx,
    The fans

  9. stevemotivateir on March 28th, 2012 4:00 am

    Would love to see Montero get his first hit here.

  10. stevemotivateir on March 28th, 2012 4:02 am

    That was pretty well hit, just didn’t fall fast enough.

  11. stevemotivateir on March 28th, 2012 4:02 am

    Damn. Well, one run should still be enough with Felix pitching.

  12. MrZDevotee on March 28th, 2012 4:03 am

    re: Montero-

    Just nice to see someone hit something to opposite field from the right side of the plate– I’ll give him an A- for effort there.

  13. stevemotivateir on March 28th, 2012 4:10 am

    Yeah, Montero’s the real-deal. Ackley is as well. I still believe he’ll (Ackley) break the record for most cycles hit.

  14. stevemotivateir on March 28th, 2012 4:13 am

    Yeah, weird season already…. Olivo with an infield single.

  15. ZVAZDA on March 28th, 2012 4:15 am

    BLISTERINGLY fast Olivo! (Actually was a little surprised how quickly he got down the line)

  16. stevemotivateir on March 28th, 2012 4:15 am

    Not so sure Saunders didn’t beat-out that double play.

  17. MrZDevotee on March 28th, 2012 4:28 am

    Note: Figgins is hitting over .300!!! When’s the last time you could say that?

    Weird year so far. (Trade him!)

  18. MrZDevotee on March 28th, 2012 5:09 am

    (UPDATE)

    Note: Figgins is hitting over .200!!! When’s the last time you could say that?

    Weird year so far. (Trade him!)

  19. bug on March 28th, 2012 5:09 am

    Nice to have a ball game to listen to with my morning coffee. Now, what for breakfast?

  20. stevemotivateir on March 28th, 2012 5:13 am

    Not sure where Root Sports got their figures on the worlds largest cities, but I can tell you they are a bit inflated (Sao Paulo for example, has about 12 million, not 20). Maybe they can do that with Mariner batting averages though? We might find a suitor for Figgins if he’s hitting .858

  21. djw on March 28th, 2012 5:19 am

    Are Felix (and McCarthy) getting squeezed as much as gamecast seems to be suggesting?

  22. ZVAZDA on March 28th, 2012 5:22 am

    djw – there haven’t been any calls that I’ve been outraged about, but there are many that look like strikes that could have gone the other way.

    The King rides high!!!

  23. stevemotivateir on March 28th, 2012 5:22 am

    What the hell was that?! Ichiro driving the ball deep to the opposite field?!

  24. stevemotivateir on March 28th, 2012 5:24 am

    I hope they can manage a run here. Really don’t wanna see extra innings.

  25. stevemotivateir on March 28th, 2012 5:28 am

    This is all-too familiar.

  26. zzyzx on March 28th, 2012 5:40 am

    It was so weird having a game on the radio on my early morning drive into work. Now I’m parked in our cafeteria in front of the tv with my laptop…

    The things I do to watch a bad team…

  27. ZVAZDA on March 28th, 2012 5:42 am

    It felt like Fuentes got a lot of help from the Ump that inning. Gamecasters?

  28. leon0112 on March 28th, 2012 5:42 am

    No base runners since sixth inning. Offense remains pathetic.

  29. djw on March 28th, 2012 5:58 am

    Ackley!

  30. ZVAZDA on March 28th, 2012 5:58 am

    C’mon boys!!!!

  31. stevemotivateir on March 28th, 2012 6:02 am

    How fitting would it be, for Ichiro to drive in the winning run?

  32. stevemotivateir on March 28th, 2012 6:02 am

    Well, go-ahead run.

  33. stevemotivateir on March 28th, 2012 6:04 am

    Ichiro again!

  34. stevemotivateir on March 28th, 2012 6:05 am

    That could be the weirdest RBI we’ll see all season. That should count as a base hit and a sacrifice!

  35. Paul B on March 28th, 2012 6:08 am

    I snoozed from the 4th to the 11th, but it was OK because all the hitters seemed to have done the same.

    Gotta ask, though, about the Mariner baserunning.

  36. stevemotivateir on March 28th, 2012 6:11 am

    I had fallen asleep and misread the score. I can use the 5-6am excuse this time, but I’m almost certain there will be a few more games at regular time, where I do the same.

  37. MrZDevotee on March 28th, 2012 6:15 am

    You guys fell asleep– oh man, you missed the Dragon dancing in the infield to YMCA after the 6th inning, and the ghost of Ted Williams acting out scenes from the Bill Murray movie “Lost in Translation”…

    (I kid)

    1-0, boys. Go M’s!

  38. Dennisss on March 28th, 2012 6:15 am

    Could some kind soul tell me how Ackley scored from second on an infield hit? I’m just looking at the play-by-play…

  39. ZVAZDA on March 28th, 2012 6:16 am

    Alright guys, 161 to go.

  40. Milendriel on March 28th, 2012 6:20 am

    Dennisss: It was actually a single up the middle to the CF. The throw home was cut off by the pitcher and Ichiro was caught in a rundown trying to advance to second.

  41. asuray on March 28th, 2012 6:20 am

    Kawasaki is the new Mike Sweeney. I don’t care if he hits .150 (in limited playing time) as long as he keeps everyone else happy and upbeat.

  42. Paul B on March 28th, 2012 6:26 am

    There were zero walks in this game.

    I guess that answers the question someone had about whether the pitchers were getting squeezed.

  43. Dennisss on March 28th, 2012 6:39 am

    Thanks Milindriel. Ackley’s the hero, but the Japanese fans must have been in seventh heaven watching Ichiro put up 4 hits.

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