SEATTLE — In light of the horrific Edwin Diaz injury, you can be sure that the Mariners won't breathe easy until all of their players in the World Baseball Classic are returned safely with their health intact.
And maybe not even then. I well remember the hero's welcome Drew Smyly received in 2017 when he came back to Peoria, Ariz., from San Diego, where he absolutely dominated a loaded Venezuela lineup in a key start for Team USA in that year's WBC.
Smyly's mound opponent was his ostensible Mariners rotation mate, Felix Hernandez — whom he outpitched in a 4 2/3-inning stint in which Smyly allowed one unearned run on three hits with no walks and eight strikeouts. He fanned the last six batters, including stalwarts Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, Rougned Odor and Carlos Gonzalez.
