Ichiro returning to Seattle for first time as a Marlin
MIAMI — Ichiro Suzuki made his name with the Seattle Mariners.
For the first time as a Marlin, he’ll return to the place where it all started for him when Miami opens a threegame interleague series at Safeco Field tonight.
“Being able to see the fans, I want to be able to show them that I’m still healthy a n d h a ppy a n d t h a t I ’ m still playing,” said Ichiro, who spent 12 seasons with the Mariners from 2001-12. “Hopefully, I can show them that.”
Ichiro was a 10-time AllStar for the Mariners before t h e y t r a d e d h i m t o t h e New York Yankees midway through the 2012 season.
He rec alled that trade, which occurred while New York was playing a series in Seattle.
Ichiro went from the home clubhouse to the visiting side. When he recorded his first hit as a Yankee, it caused some confusion.
“When I got a hit and the inning (later) ended, I started to run toward the dugout on the first base side, where the Mariners were, instead of the third base side, where the Yankees were,” he said.
“So that was kind of different.”
During their series with the Marlins, the Mariners are planning a bobblehead giveaway honoring Ichiro. It will depict him as both a Mariner and a Marlin.
“I n J a p a n e s e , Marl i n s and Mariners, they kind of sound the same,” Ichiro said. “When I first signed with the Marlins, I had a lot of people saying, ‘Oh, you’re going back to the Mariners.’ “
For a few days, anyway, Ichiro is simply going back home.
Prado set to return from DL: Third baseman Martin Prado is set to return from the disabled list, just in time for the start of a three-city road trip. “I think I’m as close as I can be to play at this level now,” Prado said Sunday.
Prado has been out with a hamstring injury sustained in the World Baseball Classic. He’s coming off four rehab games with Single-A Jupiter in which he ran the bases and worked on his hitting.
Af t e r h i t t i n g . 3 05 a n d appearing in 153 games last season, the Marlins awarded Prado with a three-year, $40 million contract extension.
Even though he started the season on the disabled list, Prado said he has kept close tabs on the Marlins and has enjoyed what he’s seen.
“I was having a blast just watc h i n g t h e s e g a mes, ” Prado said. “I was so happy. It was fun to watch those guys play. I’m so proud of this group of guys.”
To make room for Prado, the Marlins are expected to option the hero of Sunday’s win, infielder J.T. Riddle, back to Triple-A New Orleans. run and Sunday’s outcome came down to the final at-bat of the ninth when Riddle, who had been in the majors for a week and whose only hit in 10 previous at-bats was a check-swing infield squibber, powered an 0-1 fastball into the seats in right-center.
“I k new I go t i t pre t t y good,” Riddle said. “(But) I didn’t know if it was going to get out. I didn’t even see it go out.”
For seven innings Sunday, the tension grew as Marlins pitchers — starting with Dan Straily — held the Mets hitless. Straily walked five batters, so it wasn’t the prettiest of gems. But the Mets were unable to do anything.
“Effectively wild,” Straily said of his performance.
Straily received defensive help from Marcell Ozuna, who climbed the wall in left on Wilmer Flores’ deep fly ball in the fifth, held on to the top of the padding, and came up with the catch.
With one out in the sixth, though, Straily ran out of gas. He walked consecutive batters and with his pitch count up to 93, manager Don Mat- tingly brought in rookie lefthander Jarlin Garcia to face two big Mets left-handers, Jay Bruce and Lucas Duda.
Garcia struck out Bruce on a 3-2 slider and got Duda on a fly ball to keep the no-hitter intact. Kyle Barraclough worked a perfect seventh before turning the ball over to Ziegler, who retired his first two batters. But the nohit bid ended when Walker lined a single up the middle.
Now it simply became a matter of protecting a 2-0 lead, which was all the runs the Marlins could muster off Harvey (though they had two runners thrown out at the plate on close plays).
With regular closer A. J. Ramos unavailable due to his recent workload, Mattingly handed the ninth to David Phelps. That’s when the Mets rallied to tie it.
In the bottom of the ninth, Ozuna singled to start the inning. One out later, Miguel Rojas doubled to left-center. Ozuna was waved home but a perfect relay throw by Mets shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera beat him to the plate and Ozuna was out. That brought up Riddle. “We were just hoping for anything right there,” Mattingly said. “A hit would have been fine.”
The rookie said Dee Gordon approached him just before the at-bat. “He said the ball’s going to cut into you, cut right into your barrel,” Riddle said. “(Gordon said) just try to relax up there and try to put the barrel on it.” The ball got all barrel. “I don’t think I remember (anything running) from home to third,” Riddle said. “And then I saw Dee run out on the field and everyone waiting at the plate. It was an unbelievable feeling.”