Mariners notes: Ray’s outing propels Seattle to series win, Ichiro immortalized in Mariners Hall of Fame

Before Robbie Ray could return to Seattle’s dugout, nearly unhittable for seven innings Sunday, catcher Cal Raleigh beat the reigning AL Cy Young winner to the steps, offering a fist-bump. Manager Scott Servais, with a smile, extended his arm to offer Ray a congratulatory handshake. And a sellout crowd of 45,190 at T-Mobile Park rose to their feet, awarding the Mariners starter with a standing ovation.

Ray shoved all afternoon, generating 14 whiffs and surrendering only three hits to playoff-contending and AL Central-leading Cleveland – two of which came in the sixth inning. He walked none, struck out seven, and Seattle went on to win 4-0, securing the four-game weekend series with the Guardians.

The 31-year-old Ray hasn’t allowed more than two runs in a start since July 29. His brilliant outings, one by one, continue to pile up.

“He’s fun (to play) behind,” Ty France said. “You know what you’re going to get from him. You’re going to get six to nine good innings from him. He’s one of the best in the game for a reason.”

Ray hurled 103 pitches and 70 strikes. He relied on his trusty four-seam fastball, freezing Cleveland hitters at the bottom of the zone and, at times, enticing them to chase high.

“Everything plays real well off my four-seam,” Ray said. If I can get into a rhythm with my four-seam, get some swing-and-misses, some pop-ups, some soft contact... I feel like it makes all of my pitches more effective.”

Dylan Moore wiped away Cleveland starter Aaron Civale’s shutout bid with a three-run homer to left in the fifth, and the Guardians never responded. Ty France added a mammoth solo blast in the seventh, just above where Moore landed his homer, beneath the “Edgar’s” sign in left.

“The most exciting thing, I think (for) anybody that’s been watching us all year long... we needed Ty France’s bat back, and it showed up today,” Servais said.

Erik Swanson and Paul Sewald posted scoreless innings of relief in the eighth and ninth, respectively, and Seattle completed its six-game homestand at 4-2.

Cleveland out-hit Seattle 5-4 on Sunday, perhaps illuminating a cooling Mariners offense despite a successful week. Seattle managed only three hits Saturday, albeit all home runs, and entered Sunday’s contest ranked dead last in team hits since the All-Star break, with 238.

But Mariners starters have now lasted at least five innings and allowed two or fewer walks in a dozen straight outings, the club’s longest such streak since 2000. Across the recent homestand, Seattle’s rotation combined to go 2-0 with a 1.38 earned run average with four walks and 39 strikeouts.

Seattle first split a two-game set with the Washington Nationals at T-Mobile Park on Tuesday and Wednesday. The series finale featured Julio Rodriguez’s 20th home run of the season, which cemented the franchise’s first 20-homer, 20-stolen base season since Mike Cameron in 2002.

The Mariners are 70-58, and possess the second of three American League wild card allocations. They sport a two-and-a-half game advantage over Baltimore, the first team out.

As of Sunday morning, Seattle had nearly a 90 percent chance to snap a 21-year postseason drought, per Baseball Reference, currently the longest in North American professional sports.

“Day games in August in Seattle, it doesn’t get any better,” Servais said following Sunday’s win. “And when you get 46,000 people out there, it makes it really, really special.”

ICHIRO IMMORTALIZED IN MARINERS HALL OF FAME

Believe it or not, but even Ichiro – yes, the baseball legend with the most hits in professional history – had what he described as “doubters.”

The voices began in elementary school, and carried through junior high, Ichiro recalled at T-Mobile Park on Friday. Even as he ascended as an 18-year-old in 1992, to the Orix Blue Wave, a professional team in Japan, some told him he was too skinny to play. Others deemed him too small.

“I really think about how I felt and what I had to do, especially when I had a chance to break a record,” Ichiro continued. “I always thought about what I did to get to this point. I also knew if I could perform well, I could shut those doubters down. I was able to do that, in certain cases.

“Doing that over and over and over is what I did. When I think back, that’s what I think about.”

That night, Seattle celebrated one of its franchise’s best players in history with Ichiro-themed fireworks after a 3-1 win over Cleveland. The club inducted the 48-year-old in the Mariners Hall of Fame on Saturday, where Ichiro addressed a sold-out crowd in a pregame ceremony, delivering his entire 16-minute speech in English.

“Without imposing limits on yourself, you must find the desire and passion to overcome those daily challenges,” Ichiro said to more than 45,000 fans. “That is how you maximize your potential. Then, you can achieve the unimaginable.

“To the outstanding fans of Seattle – you cheered loudly for me as a new player in my first game 21 years ago. And you never stopped.”

Ichiro took MLB by storm in 2001, his rookie year after nine professional seasons in Japan. His .350/.381/.457 slash line with a major-league leading 242 hits and 56 stolen bases not only garnered then-27-year-old Ichiro an AL Rookie of the Year award, but the MVP trophy, too.

Ichiro went on to win Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards in 2001. He was an All-Star, and helped the Mariners to a historic 116-win season.

He became the 10th member of the Mariners Hall of Fame Saturday, joining Alvin Davis, Dave Niehaus, Jay Buhner, Edgar Martinez, Randy Johnson, Dan Wilson, Ken Griffey Jr., Lou Piniella and Jamie Moyer. He went on to play 19 seasons in MLB, 14 of those with Seattle, with 10 All-Star nominations, 10 Gold Gloves, and three Silver Slugger awards.

Even now, Ichiro holds the title of Special Assistant to the Chairman in Seattle’s organization. Before games, you’ll likely find the surefire-future-hall-of-famer in the outfield, shagging fly balls and playing long toss.

“I know there are former players that can teach and tell them what to do, but I think it’s more valuable to be able to show them,” he said. “I want to contribute to the Mariners however I can, and continue to help this organization.”

Physically, Ichiro feels like he could play today. He’s not tempted, though. There would be no greater ending to his illustrious baseball career than how it concluded at MLB’s Opening Series at the Tokyo Dome in March 2019, where fans celebrated him for a final time in a Mariners uniform, he said.

“The way my career ended in Japan, and how the fans embraced me there… That is what makes this an easier exit,” he concluded. “Because I was able to finish the way I was able to finish, that kind of beats out all of the other things. It makes it so that I’m at peace. I feel like (the) ending is so important. … There’s just no other way to do that.”

2023 SCHEDULE RELEASE

Seattle announced their 2023 schedule in a release Wednesday. Here’s a detailed recap of the highlights:

– The Mariners open next season with a seven-game homestand at T-Mobile Park, first on March 30 for Opening Day with Cleveland. That series is a four-gamer (March 30-April 2), before the Angels visit for three more (April 3-5).

– MLB will debut the Interleague Balanced Schedule next season, meaning the Mariners will play all 29 other clubs. Instead of 19 games versus divisional rivals. Seattle will play 13 games against each AL West opponent, six or seven games with AL Central and AL East teams, and three games with 14 national league clubs.

The Mariners will play a 15th NL club – San Diego – four times.

– After the 2023 All-Star Game at T-Mobile Park on July 11, Seattle opens the second half of the season with a 10-game homestand featuring Detroit, Minnesota, and Toronto.

– The 2023 season concludes with a seven-game divisional homestand with Houston (Sept. 25-27) and Texas (Sept. 28-Oct. 1).

SHORT HOPS

– Julio Rodriguez finalized a long-term extension with Seattle on Friday morning, one that could span up to 16 years and reach a record-breaking $470 million.

“No words can describe what this city and this team mean to me and my family,” Rodriguez said on Twitter after inking the deal. “There’s no place in the world I would rather be. We still have work to do… let’s get it!”

The deal, confusing on paper, locks Rodriguez in for a minimum of seven years at $120 million, plus this season. It includes team options in 2028 based on the 21-year-old’s performance in future MVP voting, and a player option for five years and $90 million in the event both club options are denied.

Those club options could extend Rodriguez through 2039. The extension, in total, guarantees J-Rod $210 million – with the potential for more – and rewards the AL Rookie of the Year front-runner if he can improve on the All-Star level he has already shown.

“This is a fantastic moment in the history of our organization,” said president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto on Saturday, formally announcing the deal. “We needed to do something unique. And hopefully, it ensures Julio spends the rest of his career in Seattle.”

ON DECK

After an off-day on Monday, Seattle (70-58) begins a six-game road trip Tuesday, first in Detroit for three. They’ll play a weekend series in Cleveland from Sep. 2-4 before returning to T-Mobile Park for an eight-game home stand.

George Kirby takes the mound for the Mariners in Detroit on Tuesday, with first pitch scheduled for 4:10 p.m. PT.