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Here it is, the end of the 2020 season, the end of another season of Mariners baseball. I admit, I did not foresee them making it through all 60 games, and they did so with only a modicum of interruption—and that from the deadly wildfires choking the West Coast more than direct effects of the virus, which I definitely didn’t see coming but should have, now that “fire season” is part of our Seattle Weather Wheel. Kudos to everyone in the organization for following the safety protocols and preventing an outbreak on the team, even as it sucked away the perks of playing at this level; never have I felt closer to a professional ballplayer than imagining them stuck in the bubble, sitting in their hotel rooms eating the same boring takeout as me on a Saturday night. Stars, they’re just like us.
It’s been an up-and-down season in more ways than one, but today we get one last start from Marco Gonzales, who has certainly been a bright spot this season.
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As for the rest of it...well, it is technically A Lineup. Luis Torrens has been put on the IL with back spasms, which is an objective bummer as well as a personal one for me, because watching Torrens and trying to evaluate him was one of the things I enjoyed the most in these last few weeks of the season. Joe Hudson has been summoned from the alternate site to replace him if the Mariners need a warm body today. Kyle Lewis is also batting in the two-hole despite struggling mightily lately. Hm. Okay. I guess that does pave the way for Ty France, Cleanup Hitter. Are we trying to win this game? I can’t tell.
Today’s game starts early, don’t forget: 12:10 PT, in MLB’s quirky insistence on having all games start at the same time-ish on the last day of the season. I don’t really get it, but I’m too busy soaking up the last Mariners baseball of 2020 to really care about anything else. Another change: the game is available in all the usual places except 710 ESPN; on the radio today it moves to 770 AM because of the Seahawks game.
For the last time in 2020: Go Mariners.