The nostalgia draw for the Mariners’ season opener on Thursday night was supposed to be the return of Ichiro Suzuki, finally back in the Pacific Northwest after six years of peripatetic existence. And there was, as expected, plenty of Ichiro celebration: big cheers during his lineup introduction, a standing ovation during his first at-bat, the wrinkle-inducing realization that at least half the Mariners’ roster was in daycare when he made his MLB debut in 2001. But it wasn’t just Ichiro who took both Seattle and baseball fans back a decade on Opening Day. It was also the man on the mound, Félix Hernández, whose first start was both a flash of the pitcher he once was and a good sign for a Mariners team that needs him to be something closer to his old self if it wants to contend.
The Old Félix Hernández Showed Up for the Mariners on Opening Day
