Emerson Hancock pitched 5 1/3 innings for his first major league victory as the host Seattle Mariners defeated the Cleveland Guardians 5-4 on Monday night in the opener of a three-game series.
Dominic Canzone hit a three-run homer for the Mariners, while Tyler Freeman and Josh Naylor had solo shots for the Guardians.
Hancock (1-0), a right-hander starting the season in the Mariners rotation with Bryan Woo on the injured list with elbow inflammation, allowed three runs on four hits, with one walk and one strikeout.
Ryne Stanek pitched the ninth for his first save with Seattle.
Guardians right-hander Triston McKenzie (0-1) took the loss. He gave up five runs (four earned) on four hits in 3 1/3 innings with two walks and two strikeouts.
The Mariners opened the scoring in the second. With one out, Mitch Garver and Cal Raleigh walked before Ty France lined an RBI single to right-center. Canzone then lined a 1-1 fastball from McKenzie over the wall in center to make it 4-0.
The Guardians responded in the top of the third after a video review determined that leadoff batter Ramon Laureano was hit on the hand by a pitch. Bo Naylor and Brayan Rocchio followed with singles to load the bases with no outs. Steven Kwan grounded into a forceout to score one run before Andres Gimenez hit a sacrifice fly to right to cut the deficit to 4-2.
The Mariners scored a run in the fourth after loading the bases with one out on singles by Raleigh and France and a fielding error by first baseman Josh Naylor on Canzone’s grounder. The Guardians brought in Nick Sandlin, and he walked Luis Urias on a 3-2 count to force in a run before France was thrown out at the plate trying to score on J.P. Crawford’s flyout to center fielder Freeman.
With one out in the sixth, Freeman hit a shot to the wall in center field. Seattle’s Julio Rodriguez tried to make a leaping, twisting catch, but the ball glanced off the end of his glove and went over the fence for a home run, ending Hancock’s night.
Josh Naylor went deep to right-center off Andres Munoz with one out in the eighth to pull the Guardians within 5-4.
–Field Level Media