Seattle Mariners Line-Up Opening Day 2023
Joe Swenson
|
It’s the Seattle Mariners 2023 Opening Day. PNWS jumps ahead to see what the A.L. West contenders look like two years from now.
We now go to your announcers as the Seattle Mariners take the field for this nationally televised Opening Day game.
Joe Buck and Ken Griffey Jr.
“It’s a beautiful day here in Seattle as we open up the two-thousand twenty-three Major League Baseball season.” The familiar sound of play-by-play announcer Joe Buck conveys to a nationwide audience. “There is a plurality of things to like about this young and evolving Mariner team, right, Ken?”
“That’s right, Joe.” Seattle icon Ken Griffey Jr. replies. “But first, I’m grateful that my first game in the broadcast booth with Fox Sports will be with you and in the stadium that houses the best fans in baseball.”
“It’s safe to say that Seattle is coming off of another incredible season of growth,” Buck says.
“Growth is too mild of a word for it,” Griffey responds.
“True,” Buck adds, “not one, but two of the top five vote-getters for the Rookie of the Year. That makes two years straight with that accomplishment.”
“Julio Rodriguez nearly did enough to earn the award, but George Kirby came in and blew people away,” Griffey says. “Kirby struck out a hundred and eighty-three against just twenty-five walks with a 3.68 earned run average.”
“Those two are just going to keep getting better, but here in Seattle, the big question is, will they finally end the playoff drought?” Buck asks.
What happened in 2021 and 2022?
“2022 was a disappointment in that regard; after 2021 put them on the precipice of making the playoffs, they just missed again in 2022.” Griffey answers. “For this young nucleus, though, the question is when not if.”
“For improvement, Mariners Vice President of Baseball Operations, Jerry Dipoto, made some changes.” Buck continues.
“Even with those changes, a lot of fans were enraged at the Scott Servais extension,” Griffey replies.
“I think it’s hard for fans to imagine whether or not getting swept in the final series of the season by the Astros was on manager Scott Servais or a product of bad timing,” Buck says.
“Don’t remind me of that heartache.” Griffey muses.
“It is a new season, and let’s look at the line-up for the Seattle Mariners,” Buck says, pivoting away from storytelling.