SEATTLE — For Marco Gonzales and Mitch Haniger, they felt the pain of missing the playoffs in 2017 and 2018 on teams that had similar expectations.
They endured the losing of the rebuild, starting in the 2019 season and 2020 season and expected going into a 2021 season that brought them close to the postseason than at any point with the Mariners.
Going into a 2022 season, both were vocal in their expectations of the postseason and beyond.
On an usually warm and sun-drenched Thursday afternoon, the two veterans delivered for a team in need of a victory.
Gonzales delivered his best outing since the All-Star break and Haniger provided all of the offense with a three-run homer in the Mariners’ 3-1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians to open an all-important four-game series at T-Mobile Park.
But it was hard-throwing rookie Andres Munoz, who cemented the victory. He struck out Jose Ramirez with a pair of runners on base to end the eighth inning and worked a 1-2-3 ninth for the four-out save.
With some fans grumbling about him remaining in the starting rotation instead of right-hander Chris Flexen, Gonzales pitched six innings, allowing just one run on four hits with a walk and four strikeouts.
His one run allowed came in a first inning that could’ve been much worse.
Gonzales’ second pitch of the game — an 89 mph fastball — was clubbed into the right field corner by Steven Kwan for a leadoff double. Amed Rosario followed with a swinging bunt that bounced along the infield grass and then the baseline and somehow didn’t roll foul for a single.
With runners on first and third and no outs, Jose Ramirez hit a hard ground ball to second base that the Mariners attempted to turn into a double play, allowing Kwan to race home.
Seattle couldn’t quite get two outs on the play as J.P. Crawford’s throw from the second base bag sailed high, resulting in a collision between first baseman Ty France and Ramirez at first base. France suffered a bruised right calf on the play that eventually forced him out of the game.
But Gonzales got out of the inning without further damage. Cal Raleigh threw out Ramirez at second base on a stolen base attempt for the second out. Gonzales allowed a single to Oscar Ramirez and then got Josh Naylor to ground out to first to end the inning.
He allowed just two more base runners — a two-out bloop single from Austin Hedges in the second inning and a two-out walk of Ramirez in the sixth inning.
