The baseball gods can be a cantankerous group of curmudgeons, lamenting the bygone days of sacrifice bunts and choking up on the bat. But they also have devilish sense of humor.
So a day after becoming just the second team to blow a six-run lead in the ninth inning since 2011, the Mariners, of course, again found themselves entering the ninth inning ahead by six runs.
This time, catastrophe did not ensue. This time the Mariners closed it out. Reliever Evan Scribner worked a 1-2-3 inning, and the Mariners prevailed 6-0, pleasing an antsy and chilled crowd of 44,856 that showed up to the home opener at Safeco Field despite a dismal start to the season.