SEATTLE
At just past 4:45 p.m. Saturday, a quiet and morose clubhouse was awakened by the sight of an old friend. Raul Ibañez, the former Royal and venerable sage, sauntered through a doorway here at Safeco Field and began handing out handshakes and hugs.
His presence enlivened a room that wore the frustration of four straight losses. Salvador Perez formed a wide smile and came flying across the room. Omar Infante and Kendrys Morales surrounded their former teammate near a side wall. The scene felt like an older brother randomly returning home from college, and it harkened back to a day in the summer of 2014.