Way back in January, when the weather was only minimally colder, Mariners manager Scott Servais first made reference to it.
It was mentioned a handful of times during spring training on those early Arizona mornings when hope and possibility abound.
And then in the hours leading up to the first pitch of the season, it was discussed again. In a season filled with goals, one of Servais’ reachable early ambitions was simple — start the season off on a strong note.
“You just have to play well,” Servais said on opening day. “Play well defensively, do the little things on the bases that we talked through in spring training — our decision-making has to be better.