It came down to the wire, but Ichiro Suzuki will be in the starting lineup and his name will burst through the loudspeakers when the Seattle Mariners open their season against the Indians at 7:10 p.m. Thursday at Safeco Field.
Mariners manager Scott Servais liked what they saw from his workout at Safeco Field on Wednesday and decided to go with Ichiro on their 25-man roster while optioning utility player Taylor Motter to Triple-A Tacoma.
This is despite Ichiro going 0-for-10 with five strikeouts during his limited time in spring training while nursing a sore calf.
“It was a crazy spring for him,” Servais said.