It was the Mariners’ 50th opening and by far the most anticipated one in the 50 years. With the World Series or bust them in the background, the Mariners played ball. Logan Gilbert took to the mound to kick off the season for his second consecutive opening day start. Cleveland Guardian shortstop Chase De Lauter dented the hopes of Mariner Nation when he belted a Gilbert pitch 358 yards over the right center. Gilbert settled down, struck out the next two Guardian batters.
QUICK DIVIDENDS
If De Lauter dented the hopes of Mariner Nation, newcomer Brandon Donovan resurrected their hopes and dreams with a 353 home run to right field to level the game at 1-1.
Dominic Canzone’s home run to right center in the bottom of the second saw the Mariners take a 2-1 lead, and all looked well for the Mariners. Gilbert was dealing and in rhythm, shutting down the Guardians with no hits and no runs. That rhythm was thrown off track in the fifth inning when Guardian’s second baseman, Brayan Rocchio, doubled to bring home Rhys Hoskins and Dane Schneemann, giving the Guardians a 3-2 lead.
MARINERS SCRATCH AND CLAW
Luke Rayle’s home run in the bottom of the fifth inning tied the game and gave the Mariners momentum, bringing the 44,938 fans in attendance to their feet. Brendan Donovan followed Leo Riva’s walk and set the table for Cal Raleigh with runners on second and third with two outs. Raleigh was unable to deliver and ended the inning with a strikeout.
GUARDIANS TAKE THE LEAD FOR GOOD
Gilbert strong-armed his way through the sixth inning and held the Guardians to just two hits. Gabe Speier relieved Gilbert to start the seventh inning and struggled mightily. Speier gave up singles to Rocchio and DeLauter. Then paid the price on Jose Ramirez’s two-run double that gave the Guardians the 5-3 lead. Dominic Canzone homered in the bottom of the 7th inning to cut the Mariners’ deficit to 5-4. The home run way was the last for the Mariners. Chase Delauter’s home run in the top of the ninth delivered the insurance run for the Guardians.
BIG TAKE
The Mariners had several opportunities to win the game. There was a lack of traffic on the base paths. Brendan Donovan went 2-4 and homered in his Mariner debut, showing that he is the answer as the lead-off hitter. Dominic Canzone went 2-for-3 with two home runs. The four home runs tied the franchise record for home runs on opening day.
GAME NOTES
The Mariners have hit multiple home runs on Opening Day in three consecutive seasons (2024, 25, 26 the only other time they did so was from 1997-1999.
• Randy Arozarena hit a double in the 6th inning, marking his 6th career Opening Day hit .He went 1-for-3 with a home run on Opening Day last season.
• Making his second consecutive Opening Day start, Mariners starter Logan Gilbert threw 5.1 innings, allowing 3 runs on 5 hits (1 HR) with 7 strikeouts and 0 walks…he threw 86 pitches (59 strikes) in his season debut.
o Gilbert is the only pitcher in Mariners history to strike out 7+ while issuing no walks on Opening Day, having done so in back-to-back seasons.
o Also became the third Mariner in franchise history to throw 7+ strikeouts in multiple Opening Day starts, joining Félix Hernández done 4x: 2007, 2013, 2014, 2015) and Hall of Famer Randy Johnson (done 4x: 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998)
• The Mariners bullpen (José A. Ferrer, Gabe Speier, Casey Legumina and Cooper Criswell) combined for 3.2 innings and allowed 3 runs
on 7 hits and 2 walks while striking out a combined 4 batters…Ferrer and Criswell made their Mariners debuts tonight.
• The first ABS challenge in Mariners history was a challenge of a called third strike during Steven Kwan’s third inning at-bat…the call wasupheld.
- Mariners stumble in season-opening 6-4 loss to Guardians
- Mariners send 3 players to IL as they unveil opening day roster
- Mariners have one last workout before the start of a season of high expectations
- Return of Sonics one step closer after NBA Board of Governors vote
- Mariners: Top 5 series to pay attention to during the 2026 season
