When the Seattle Mariners fired manager Scott Servais on Thursday, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto stressed the need for “a different voice and a different direction.”
It took seven innings of Dan Wilson’s managerial debut Friday night, but the Mariners finally started listening.
They put together six consecutive singles to open the eighth inning and rally from a 5-1 deficit, then got a walk-off single from rookie Leo Rivas with one out in the bottom of the 10th to defeat the visiting San Francisco Giants 6-5 on Friday.
The three-game interleague series continues Saturday afternoon, with Seattle native Blake Snell scheduled to take the mound for San Francisco.
“Just seeing the way these guys fought … it was inspiring for me to see how hard they worked to come back into that game, string all those hits together,” Wilson said. “It left with a good feeling.”
And for the first time since Aug. 3, the Mariners won on a day when Houston lost, trimming their deficit against the American League West-leading Astros to 4 1/2 games.
After mobbing Rivas on the field following the game, several Mariners players hugged Wilson during the postgame handshake line.
Wilson, who caught more games than anyone else in franchise history, has had several roles in the organization since retiring in 2005. He most recently served as a special assignment coordinator in the minor leagues.
“He has so much experience,” Seattle center fielder Julio Rodriguez said, “and obviously he’s been here in this organization for quite a bit, quite a long time. He was part of a few of the best teams this organization has ever had, so he knows the history. He’s a big baseball head, too, so I’m excited for what he has to bring to the team.”
Wilson said he learned plenty during his playing days from managers Lou Piniella and Bob Melvin, who was in the opposing dugout Friday night.
“Dan has been around this organization as a player and instructor and knows all the people in development. He knows all the people in the front office,” Melvin said. “If ever there was kind of a natural way to do something in the middle of the season, it’s probably him.”
The Mariners had just one run — a solo homer by Luke Raley — on two hits through seven innings on Friday before Giants reliever Tyler Rogers failed to retire any of the six batters he faced.
“Felt like we had (the game) in our hands,” Melvin said. “We had our two best pitchers coming into the game in the eighth and ninth. Got away from Tyler a little bit. Tried to get at least one out for him. He’s never had an outing like that before.”
LaMonte Wade Jr., Michael Conforto and Heliot Ramos homered for the Giants.
The left-handed Snell (2-3, 3.67 ERA) is scheduled to face Mariners right-hander George Kirby (9-9, 3.40) on Saturday.
Snell, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, is 2-0 with a 1.27 ERA in four August starts, including a no-hitter on Aug. 2 at Cincinnati. He didn’t get a decision in his past two starts despite allowing just one run on eight hits over 13 1/3 innings with 21 strikeouts and five walks.
In four career starts against the Mariners, Snell is 2-1 with an 0.81 ERA.
Kirby beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-3 on Sunday, the Mariners’ lone victory on their nine-game trip. He allowed two runs on four hits over six innings with five strikeouts and two walks. Kirby will be facing the Giants for the first time in his three-year career.
–Field Level Media
