SEATTLE -- It is just one arm extended, but it means so much in baseball. The intentional walk, an act of surrender, is the ultimate sign of respect for the batter being given the free pass, while it can be a slap in the face to the man in the on-deck circle.
It is not a rare occurrence, except when the hitter being walked is in career game No. 21 and the batter behind him has 404 career home runs.
The Seattle Mariners did not intentionally walk New York Yankees rookie sensation Gary Sanchez once Wednesday to face Mark Teixeira, they did it twice.