The start of the Seattle Mariners’ most anticipated season in recent memory is only minutes away. Unlike most recent seasons where the only realistic hope is seeing some progress and development, 2015 comes with playoff-or-bust expectations for the Mariners, who were just a game away from the postseason last year.
From Sunday’s Herald, here’s my look at why the Mariners will live up to those expectations.
You can find a whole bunch of good Mariners preview stuff at Heraldnet.com, most of it from the News Tribune’s Bob Dutton.
Here’s a bit of what Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon had to say (thanks to Herald Writer David Krueger for typing these up).
“Obviously, there’s a lot of excitement. Opening Day is a special day for the players, for my staff and for myself as well. I’m glad this day is here. I’ll be glad when it’s over so we can get back to normalcy. But there’s a lot of excitement. The players are pumped up.
“Today’s a hectic day. There’s a lot of different distractions and they don’t need me to be one of them.”
On today’s game: “The Angels are a great ballclub. They won more games than anyone else in baseball last year. They’re a tough opponent. We know they’re coming in and we look forward to competing against them.”’
On the key to success for this team: “I think it’s real simple: I think if we prepare on a daily basis to go out and execute and do the things that we need to do to win ball games I think that we’ll be successful. I don’t know what that number is if you’re asking me for a number (of victories this season), I don’t know what that’s going to be. I would hope that we’re better than we were last year in a lot of different areas – and I think we are on paper – but we still have to go out and execute.”
On which Opening Day is his favorite: “The first one is always the most special. As a youngster, my first spring training and making the club with Cincinnati and standing on the line with Pete Rose and Tony Perez and those guys, that was special.”
On expectations: “I think those things are great and it’s great talk when people sit down and talk about it. But we haven’t forgotten how to play the game. It’s the game of baseball. You go out and play and hopefully you score more runs than the other team. At the end of the day, we’ll see what happens.”
Kyle Seager
On being home for Opening Day: “Opening Day is special, no matter where you’re playing or whatever the situation is. But to open up here at Safeco Field is going to be a lot of fun. I’ve opened up in Japan, Anaheim, Oakland, it’s going to be really, really cool to open up here.”
“Opening Day, Felix on the mound, in Seattle, it’s not going to get too much better than that.”
On expectations: “I’m a little aware of it. Obviously, not as much as I would be if I had Twitter. But there’s a different feel around the team, there’s a different feel with all the expectations. But, internally, it’s pretty simple. We haven’t been to the postseason in a long time. It’s something that we have to get there before we (look ahead).”
“I’ve never been to the postseason, so I have to take it day-by-day.”
Nelson Cruz
On Opening Day with the Mariners: “Definitely been waiting for this moment for a long time.”
On expectations for the team: “I think everybody’s on the same page. Everybody’s working hard. … I don’t think anything’s going to come and surprise us. We’re ready for this.”
Robinson Cano
On getting the season underway: “Opening Day is always going to be special. It’s like when you go back to school for the first day. I’m happy and excited about the season and just can’t wait.”
On expectations: “It makes the game more exciting. … As a player, you want to go out there, those people have the expectation, and you know you have to prove something.”
“You should embrace it. That’s what the game’s for.”
Opening Day memories: “The first one is the one you’re always going to remember. They’re all special.”
On the game of baseball: “This is a game where it’s not about yourself and your stats. It’s about your team. You win as a team, you lose as a team. You’ve got to help each other.”
Here’s today’s Mariners lineup
CB Austin Jackson
RF Seth Smith
2B Robinson Cano
DH Nelson Cruz
3B Kyle Seager
1B Logan Morrison
C Mike Zunino
LF Dustin Ackley
SS Brad Miller
RHP Felix Hernandez
Angels lineup
RF Kole Calhous
CF Mike Trout
1B Albert Pujols
LF Matt Joyce
3B David Freese
SS Erick Aybar
DH C.J. Cron
C Chris Iannetta
2B Johnny Giavotella
RHP Jared Weaver
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