Mariners' arms, gloves, bats sync up in amazing inning

SEATTLE -- It turns out Mariners reliever Tayler Saucedo’s viral line isn’t always completely true. You play nine innings. But sometimes, you can win a game in the first.

In a 4-0 victory over the Mets on Saturday night at T-Mobile Park, the Mariners did their best to do just that, getting just about everything to slide their way before everyone in the stands had time to settle in.

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Logan Gilbert allowed a leadoff single to Francisco Lindor on the second pitch of the game. But after the right-hander struck out Brandon Nimmo, Gilbert’s defense helped him wipe out the runner in highlight-reel fashion. J.D. Martinez roped a 104.4 mph shot back up the middle, but Jorge Polanco dove across his body to corral it and glove-flipped the ball to Leo Rivas, who stretched out every bit of his 5-foot-8 frame to barehand the toss for the first out and sling it to first for the second.

“That’s one of the best plays I’ve seen all year,” Gilbert said. “To take the momentum like that on a hard-hit ball with a great play behind me [from] both of them, finding a way to knock it down and flip it and then the barehand. Then we go in with that momentum and score three in the first. Those guys behind me, I felt like they won the game in the first, ultimately.”

Then it was the offense’s turn to start fast. Victor Robles got things started by ripping a 1-2 sweeper down the third-base line for a double. He then swiped third when Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez lobbed a toss a bit too high back to pitcher Sean Manaea.

The steal allowed Robles to jog home easily when Randy Arozarena bounced his own double down the left-field line.

Since slotting into the leadoff spot in the Mariners order after J.P. Crawford landed on the IL, Robles is hitting .357 in the first inning with a 1.214 OPS. In 41 games with Seattle, he’s already racked up 12 stolen bases, more than he had in all but two of his seven-plus seasons with the Nationals.

“I said it earlier: Vic’s an entertainer,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “We’re in the entertainment business. I tell these guys all the time, ‘Be who you are,’ and that’s who he is. That’s what allows him to play really well; it allows him to play free.

“He’s not thinking too much; he’s just out there being Vic. And that rubs off on our other guys, when they see him doing things that guys would never think about doing, and the success he’s having, it does become a lot of fun.”

A batter later, Justin Turner drilled an RBI double of his own and gave Seattle three doubles for the frame, matching its franchise record for a first inning. Mitch Haniger capped the early rally with an RBI single to give the Mariners a three-run cushion.

For an offense whose struggles have been well-chronicled this year -- and especially this summer – the first inning has been a recent spot of success. Since the All-Star break, Seattle’s 16 runs scored in the opening frame is tied for fifth in Majors, while its first-inning batting average (.291) and OPS (.938) rank eighth and sixth, respectively.

“Saturday night, the fans are going crazy out there,” Gilbert said. “I’m down in the tunnel, getting ready for the next inning, and it sounds like a playoff game out there. Putting up three runs in the first, that’s huge and a lot of momentum. Then it’s just my job to go out there and hold it.”

Gilbert did just that, finishing with seven scoreless frames and allowing just three hits and a walk. He finished with 15 swings and misses on the night, after logging only three in his first pass through the New York order.

Gilbert’s effort, combined with scoreless innings from Yimi García and Andrés Muñoz, gave the Mariners their second consecutive shutout and pushed their combined scoreless streak to 22 innings, their second-longest of the season.

“With any staff, the goal is to get on the board early, give our guy some breathing room and let him go out and attack,” Turner said. “But especially with this staff and how talented they are … getting those runs early and allowing them to be aggressive with their stuff, attacking the zone and not having to be too careful, is huge. It’s a great recipe for us.”