SHANNON DRAYER

Mariners to start Marco Gonzales, Yusei Kikuchi in Japan series vs A’s

Mar 9, 2019, 11:26 AM | Updated: 11:43 am

Yusei Kikuchi and Marco Gonzales will pitch in the Mariners' opening series in Japan. (AP)...

Yusei Kikuchi and Marco Gonzales will pitch in the Mariners' opening series in Japan. (AP)

(AP)

PEORIA, Ariz. – There will be a change at the top as for the first time since 2008 in the Seattle Mariners’ starting rotation. A pitcher other than Félix Hernández will make the Opening Day start for the Mariners.

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Left-hander Marco Gonzales will get the ball for Game 1 against the Oakland A’s in Tokyo on March 20, the team announced Saturday morning.

“I certainly respect that Félix has taken the ball Opening Day here 10 years in a row, a tremendous run, he has done awesome things,” manager Scott Servais said. “I just think where we are at right now organizationally, where he’s at, he wants to have a big year (and) this does give him more time to prepare for his first regular start. It doesn’t make it any easier, it really doesn’t, but you try and take as much of the emotion out of it as you can and do what is best for the ball club. Marco had a really good season last year and we will give him the ball.”

Gonzales is coming off his first full season in the big leagues, making 29 starts while posting a 4.00 ERA and finishing 11th among American League starters (minimum 160 innings) in WAR and top 10 in home runs per nine innings, FIP and xFIP, according to Fangraphs.

Called into his manager’s office earlier in the morning, Gonzales was shocked by the news he was given.

“I think my exact words were, ‘Holy…'” Gonzales said. “It’s a huge honor. It shows that the coaching staff and the management have a lot of faith in me. I am going to take that upon myself to go out and give my best shot.”

The honor is made even more poignant for Gonzales considering the former first-round pick underwent Tommy John surgery in 2016.

“It’s emotional in a sense just because through the steps along the way, not a lot of people see the baby steps you take after surgery and just the path you have to follow after all of that,” he said. “I could have never imagined this would happen. When you are in a place where you don’t know if you are going to be able to pitch again? I am very very grateful.”

The first phone call he made with the news was to his wife.

“My wife was there when I got the call that I would have to have surgery and now she has the call that I am going to be pitching the first game of the season. Those are the things that, it’s emotional. The journey that you go on and you look back, you couldn’t write this any better, honestly.”

As for the second game against the A’s in Japan on March 21, Yusei Kikuchi will become the first Japanese born player to make his debut Major League start in Japan.

“I asked if he was OK pitching in Japan and he said yes,” Servais said with a smile. “He really continues to adapt to his routine, style of getting ready for games. He’s thrown the ball very well this spring. I have liked what I have seen, I like his stuff. He is going to continue to get better. The one thing I like about Yusei is he continues to throw strikes. He does not back off, he trusts his stuff and it’s great to see.”

All five starters will be taken to Japan, with Mike Leake and Hernández starting exhibition games against the Yomiuri Giants on March 16 and 18, and Wade LeBlanc available in the bullpen for the games against the A’s.

The A’s also named their starters Saturday morning for the two-game series in Japan, with Mike Fiers going against Gonzales in Game 1 and Marco Estrada the Game 2 starter.

Notes

• 3B Kyle Seager spent Saturday morning in the training room after rolling over his left hand diving for a ball in Friday night’s game. X-rays came back negative but he is scheduled to see a hand specialist and expected to miss at least a couple of days.

• Two of the Mariners’ top prospects, outfielders Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodriguez, are on the travel squad for the game against the Dodgers in Glendale on Saturday.

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