James Paxton awoke Friday morning and was hopeful.
The pain that he felt in left pectoral muscle that forced him out of Thursday night’s start in the seventh inning wasn’t quite as significant. Perhaps he was right in his personal postgame diagnosis after the heartbreaking 3-2 loss that his injury wasn’t too serious and he’d be able to make his next scheduled start.
But a MRI later that morning and an examination by team physician Dr. Edward Khalfayan leveled Paxton’s optimism and may have crushed the Mariners postseason hopes just as they were starting to look promising.