4 best Opening Day performances in Seattle Mariners history

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We are just a couple of days away from Opening Day for the Mariners. This is a very pivotal season for a team that broke one of the longest droughts in sports history and followed it up with a big flop. There has been a lot of turnover this offseason and fans are hoping that the changes made will lead to a lot of different results. Hopefully, the Mariners can return to postseason baseball, of which there is nothing better.

As we look forward to Opening Day, I want to take a look back at some of the best performances in Mariner's history on Opening Day. The Mariners have been one of the most frustrating teams in sports history, dealing out year after year of mediocre baseball at bestl, led by an ownership group that wouldn't commit to winning. With that being said, even during a very frustrating time for Mariners fandom, there have been some absolutely amazing performances on the first day of the season.

We could do a whole article on the Opening Day performances of Felix Hernandez; if you haven't looked up what he has done just on Opening Days, do yourself a favor and go look up just how dominant he was in his career on that particular day. In this article, I limited it to just one performance per player, picking the very best performance from Felix along with a couple of other outstanding days from some former Mariners.

The top 2 pitching performances in Mariner's history

(#1) Randy Johnson vs Toronto Blue Jays in 1993, (8 IP, 7H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 14 K's)

Even though Felix had a laundry list of Opening Day performances that should be remembered, it is "The Big Unit's" performance in 1993 that earns the number one slot on this list. Fresh off the first of back-to-back World Series, the Blue Jays were one of the best teams in baseball. They had won 96 games in 1992 en route to a World Series, and in 1993, they would win 95 games on their way to another title.

On April 6th, 1993, Randy Johnson showed up and absolutely dominated the defending champions. Facing off against a lineup that featured two future Hall of Famers (Paul Molitor and Roberto Alomar) along with several future All-Stars, Randy Johnson worked through eight innings on 120 pitches, generating an insane 27 swing and misses. Six of the nine hitters had multiple strikeouts, including Molitor, who had two. The Mariners would go on to win 8-1, in one of the best pitching performances in Mariner's history.

#2 Felix Hernandez vs Oakland Athletics in 2007, (8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 12 K's)

As I have said, the list of elite starts by Felix, just on Opening Day, just shows how good of a pitcher the Mariners had. Aside from a joke of letting Erik Bedard start in 2008, Felix Hernandez got the Opening Day nod every year, from 2007 through 2018. He is arguably the best pitcher in Mariners history and deciding on which Opening Day performance to highlight was difficult, but his 2007 performance sticks out to me!

Felix had a knack for coming up big, in big time moments and for a guy that never got to experience postseason baseball, Opening Day was about as good as it got. The 2006 A's were one of the best teams in baseball, finishing first in the AL West, but going on to get swept in the ALCS by the Detroit Tigers. A lot of that team didn't return in 2007, but they were a respectable team. Felix didn't care who they trotted out there, he was determined to shut them down, and that he did.

He would throw eight innings, giving up just three hits, while walking just two. He struck out a crazy 12 batters on 111 pitches, generating 17 swinging strikes. We got to see peak Felix on April 2nd, 2007; it was a game that epitomizes just how good "The King" was during his run with the M's.

The top 2 offensive performances in Mariner's history

#1 Jim Presley vs California Angels in 1986, (3 for 4, 2 R, 2 HR, 6 RBI's)

Now, I am not going to lie. I was not awake during this performance, but there is no denying what Jim did on this Opening Day. Pressley would go on to become an All-Star in his age-24 season for a Mariners team that was just not competitive, winning just 67 games. Presley would go on to play through his age 29 season before retiring after the 1991 season where he only played in 20 games.

On this particular date, April 8th, 1986, Presley was one of the best in the game. Against a talented California Angels team that featured Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson and a few solid bats in Ruppert Jones, Wally Joyner, and Bobby Grich, the Mariners went into the bottom of the ninth down by two runs.

This is where Presley stepped up big time; Presley hit a two-run home run to center field that tied the game up, sending the game to extra innings. In the bottom of the 10th, this is where Presley's incredible game was etched into Mariner's history. With two outs and the bases loaded, Presley hit a bomb to centerfield, again, giving the Mariners a walk-off grand slam!

2005 - Richie Sexson vs Minnesota Twins (2 for 5, 2 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI's)

For a Mariners team that struggled through the mid-2000s, Richie Sexson was a very big addition, and it was really fun to watch the 6'8 first baseman hit some absolute moon shots. It was more of the same during this 2005 effort from the "Big Sexy" when he hit two home runs driving in all five of the Mariners' runs in just three at-bats.

The Mariners team that day struggled mightily! The team registered just five hits, but Sexson accounted for two of them and all five of the Mariners RBI's. Sexson hit a three-home run in the bottom of the first that gave the Mariners an early lead. In a game when Mariners pitching didn't give up an earned run, Sexson gave the Mariners a five-run lead in the bottom of the third as the Mariners pitching staff coasted to an Opening Day win.

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