2/28/21: 1st Spring Training Open Game Thread

We... made it? We made it.

Welcome back, friends. Come one, come all, gather around the radio, or the computer, or simply plug in some headphones to your mobile device. We’ve got a Seattle Mariners baseball game today. Heck, for the first few innings we should even have what looks like will be the Opening Day lineup just one month from now. Marco Gonzales on the hill. Mitch Haniger and Tom Murphy (catching, despite the graphic below) in the starting lineup. It’s the first live game action against an opposing team for both players since 2019. As for the rest of the club, it may or may not feel like an immense layoff, but at least from my own perspective, it might as well have been a century.

The San Diego Padres are meeting the M’s with a similarly full force crew, as the Friars’ electrifying, near-billion dollar infield gets their first test drive, sans Eric Hosmer. Adrian Morejón should be a solid challenge for the M’s, though who comes after the first inning or two may be anyone’s guess. It doesn’t matter. At least not today.

For the extended bench and bullpen, here’s who you might see today. Worth noting, with “only” 70 players allowed in camp as teams attempt to mitigate potential COVID-19 outbreaks, we’ll be likelier to see fewer completely random fill-ins later in games. If you’d like a refresher on the M’s minor league signees, you can read our roundup here! And of course, our 40 in 40 series for folks on the 40-man roster.

Game Time: 12:10 PM PT
TV: None :(
Radio: 710 AM ESPN or MLB At Bat App
Online: MLB.com (radio only, but with Gamecast at least)

It’s 48 degrees and cloudy in Seattle right now but I’ll tell you what, it feels like summer for a moment.