Game 1 of the World Series Looked Exactly Like One of Worst Games in Seattle Mariners History
On Friday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees 6-3 in Game 1 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers trailed 3-2 in the bottom of the tenth inning before former MVP Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off grand slam with two outs. The home run came off Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes, who was making his first appearance since Sept. 8. He's been out with elbow issues.
The loss, and the situation surrounding it, are eerily similar to one of the worst losses in Seattle Mariners history.
Remember back in 2022, when the Mariners were playing the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the American League Division Series? The M's held a 7-5 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning when manager Scott Servais questionably went to his bullpen with two outs. He brought starting pitcher Robbie Ray in relief to face Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez, and Alvarez promptly hit a walk-off three-run homer.
The decision to bring in Robbie Ray to face Yordan Alvarez can be discussed at length. @AROD gave his thoughts on the call. 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/5rDR900eV6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 12, 2022
Ray was not a reliever, and he was also coming off a dreadful outing in the American League wild card series against the Toronto Blue Jays just days earlier. The decision to bring him in was panned by Mariners fans and media pundits, just as this decision by Boone has been.
Cortes hasn't pitched in a month and a half, so why would this stiuation be the right spot for him? It should be noted that Cortes did retire Shohei Ohtani and intentionally walk Mookie Betts before Freeman came to the plate. Furthermore, the Yankees had reliever Tim Hill in the bullpen as well, who has pitched well this postseason.
The Mariners lost in Game 2 of that 2022 ALDS and then were promptly swept in the best-of-five series. The Yankees will look to avoid that fate with Game 2 on Saturday night.
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