Mariners Reaction: Wyman & Bob on ALDS Game 1 loss, Ray decision
Oct 11, 2022, 8:23 PM | Updated: 9:45 pm
Just about everything in Game 1 of the ALDS went the way Mariners fans would have wanted it to – until the last pitch.
Alvarez smashes Mariners with walk-off HR, Astros win Game 1
The decision to use Robbie Ray, who started Saturday for the M’s, to try to get Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez for the final out in Houston backfired Tuesday, with Ray’s second pitch catching too much of the plate and landing in the seats beyond right field for a three-run homer that violently turned what looked like a 7-5 Seattle win into an 8-7 Seattle loss.
Needless to say, this one is going to take some time to process.
Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob didn’t have that time, though, as they were on the air about an hour later to process their emotions in real time.
They did their best to stay levelheaded about the whole thing, with Bob Stelton pointing out that they discussed the possibility of Ray working out of the bullpen the day before and didn’t hear much pushback.
“What I vividly remember on the text line is nobody was challenging the idea (of Ray pitching out of the bullpen)… I didn’t see anybody going ‘Why would you do that? What a terrible idea.’ I didn’t anybody say that. We’re seeing it now – because it didn’t work,” Stelton said.
Dave Wyman pointed out the situation – falling behind 1-0 in a best-of-five series – is less dire than another unfortunate event in Seattle sports history.
“May I remind everyone, this isn’t the interception at the 1-yard line in Super Bowl 49, OK? There’s more to play. We’ve got four more games,” said Wyman.
All that being said, there’s still a harsh reality to it all, as Stelton explained.
“It was beyond brutal, it was beyond a gut punch, it was beyond a blown opportunity. You blew it,” he said, before mentioning three pitchers who took over in relief and were charged runs over the course of Houston’s comeback from a 7-3 M’s lead. “And the problem is you blew it with the guys who got you there, what got you to the postseason. You’re not in the postseason without Robbie Ray, you’re not in the postseason without Paul Sewald or Andrés Muñoz, and all three of those guys let you down today.”
You can hear the segment in the video at the top of this post or on the Seattle Sports YouTube channel here, as well as listen to the full post-Game 1 show at this link or in the podcast below.
Salk: Who gets blame for Mariners’ Game 1 collapse? It’s complicated
