Hot-hitting Mariners break MLB record with early home run barrage
The Seattle Mariners have been Major League Baseball's hottest team since opening the season a week early in Japan. They've shown no signs of slowing down, either, largely because of an offense that is cranking home runs at a record pace.
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Behind home runs from Dee Gordon and Daniel Vogelbach during Thursday’s 7-6 win against the Kansas City Royals, the Mariners extended their streak to 15 straight games with a home run to begin the 2019 season.
That moves them past the 2002 Cleveland Indians for the longest home run streak to open a season in MLB history.
The Mariners have now homered in each of their first 15 games, surpassing the 2002 Indians (14) for the longest season-opening streak in MLB history.
Dee Gordon (career average of 228 AB/HR) hit the record-breaking homer. pic.twitter.com/Jt56wTQTzo— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 11, 2019
Seattle has an MLB leading 36 home runs overall. In reaching that number, they’ve gotten contributions from everyone in the lineup.
Jay Bruce, who was acquired in the offseason trade that sent Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz to the New York Mets, leads the team with seven. Daniel Vogelbach, a 26-year-old designated hitter with limited MLB experience, has six. Mitch Haniger, Edwin Encarnacion, Domingo Santana and Tim Beckham each have four.
As a result of the home run barrage, the Mariners have an MLB best 13-2 record to begin the season and are producing runs like few offenses before them.
The Mariners have scored 117 runs through 15 games this season. That's 5th-most by ANY team in the Modern Era (since 1900) thru 15 games.
1900 Phillies: 138
1901 Orioles (not current franchise): 125
1962 Cardinals: 122
1901 Cardinals: 121
2019 Mariners: 117— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) April 11, 2019
This level of production was not expected with Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz gone and Kyle Seager on the injured list. The rebuilt lineup almost certainly won’t be able to sustain it. However, the early success does bode well for Seattle based on MLB history.
The Mariners are 12-2.
In the Wild Card era, entering 2019, 4 of the 6 teams to start 12-2 or better through 14 games made the playoffs.
Teams to miss playoffs under those circumstances:
2018 Mets
2005 Dodgers— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) April 11, 2019
According to Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times, the Mariners offense success has stemmed from a focused and united approach. Their mentality is that it's nine of them against one pitcher. They are each focused on extending at-bats in order to break down and wear down the opponent. Then they attack.
“The depth of our lineup and the quality of the at-bats we are putting together are exceptional,” Jay Bruce said before Wednesday’s game. “It’s something that we need to take advantage of as a team because no matter how rosy-colored the glasses are that you look through, it’s not going to be like this all year. We are just trying to get good pitches to hit. It’s a pretty consistent team-wide approach and a team-wide philosophy.”
Bruce is right that this hot streak won’t last forever. But the approach should have staying power as long as the current group stays healthy. That could be tested a bit after Bruce himself left Wednesday’s game with a sore Achilles.
For now, at least, the Mariners are riding high. It’s up to the rest of MLB to rise up or bring them back down.
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