Mariners reliever Brandon Brennan throws a pitch. The Seattle Mariners played the San Diego Padres in a exhibition baseball game at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Wash., on Tuesday, March 26, 2019. Joshua Bessex joshua.bessex@gateline.com
As Seattle Mariners legend Ichiro Suzuki said goodbye to professional baseball in his native Japan, an unknown rookie reliever was waiting to make his MLB debut.
Brandon Brennan, a Rule 5 Draft pick by the Mariners last winter, didn’t mind the short delay — he endured much longer holdups during the first seven years of his professional baseball career.
Brennan said he enjoyed the moment two weeks ago in Tokyo, as Ichiro made his eighth-inning exit in the Mariners’ series finale against the Oakland A’s.