The defining moment Friday in a 13-3 romp over first-place Houston was an essentially meaningless play that nonetheless embodied what the Mariners aspire to be.
It came in the seventh inning with the Mariners already leading 9-3. Runners were at second and third when Astros reliever James Hoyt bounced a pitch past catcher Brian McCann that McCann initially had trouble locating,
Danny Valencia scored easily while Jarrod Dyson eased into third, noticed that Hoyt was frantically chasing after the ball that McCann had yet to find. Dyson turned cheetah, raced home and executed a head-first slide that beat McCann’s tag.