There were painfully few opportunities for the record Safeco Field crowd to erupt, virtually all of them coming in the fifth inning, when the Mariners did all their scoring and had half of their four hits yet ultimately squandered a huge chance to take the lead.
The Mariners provided plenty to tug on your heart strings in their home opener Friday night — the ceremonial first run around the bases from a Make-A-Wish youngster, a service woman reunited with her child, and the return of the Mariners’ prodigal son, Ken Griffey Jr., to throw out the first pitch.