The tale of 2 innocent blunders during a Mariners win

ANAHEIM – An 8-1 win comes a lot of forgiveness. In the Mariners victory over the Angels Monday night, we saw not one, but two rather major mistakes. The first was perhaps the most unfortunate as it came in a big-league debut.

In the top of the 9th inning, with Seattle up 8-1, manager Scott Servais inserted Daniel Vogelbach as a pinch hitter for his first taste of the majors. Vogelbach swung at the first pitch he saw, grounding into a fielder’s choice. The next batter, Kyle Seager, hit what appeared to be a single to right field with Vogelbach going from first to third. Moments later, we saw Vogelbach trot head down back to the Mariners dugout having been called out for missing second base.

“It was one of those where I turned to look to see if I was going to go first to third and by the time I looked up it was too late to reach for the bag,” Vogelbach explained Tuesday afternoon.

“At first I was not a fan of it – it was one of those things where it was, ‘Wow that just happened.’ And then Seager tells me I took a hit away from him so I was really, ‘Oh man, this is great. I’m never going to play again.'”

The bad moment was made better by Seager, the victim of the baserunning crime.

“He gave me a hard time about it and then he gave me a hug and everything was good,” Vogelbach said. “I’ve only been here for a day but he seems like a pretty good teammate who is even a better guy.”

“It’s a little different situation, obviously, him debuting and meeting him just five hours before,” Seager pointed out. “That’s real tough, your first game, your debut, you’re not yourself out there. There’s so many nerves, there’s so much adrenaline – you don’t feel like you. I think he felt pretty bad and instead of  burying him and everything else it was better just to let him feel a part of everything. It was all in good fun and all a good introduction.”

An introduction Vogelbach will never forget.

“I’m going to have a pretty good MLB-debut story for when they ask me how it went,” he said. “I don’t think many can top that one.”

Vogelbach was not alone in the mistake department Monday night. In the 3rd inning, Robinson Cano completed a double play that wasn’t, taking the throw from shortstop Ketel Marte and then firing to and unsuspecting Dae-Ho Lee who was able to make the catch. After the game, Cano was asked if he was just messing with Lee on the throw.

“No, no, no, no, no,” he said. “I thought it was one out, I’m not going to lie. I wouldn’t mess around like that because what happens if I throw and hit him in the knee or something like that?”

As much fun as Cano likes to have, he is not going to intentionally endanger a teammate. Still, Lee was caught off guard.

“In that couple of seconds I thought it was me who had lost count,” Lee said with a laugh. “I was confident there were two outs and then I thought, okay maybe I miscounted.”

Lee has enjoyed being on the receiving end of just about every other throw from Cano this season.

“When he is standing on second base, he is so confident; I get confident,” he said. “If there is a short time, he throws fast. If there is enough time, he accommodates. It is always just right.”

Even the fourth out.

“It is better to get four than miss with one,” Cano said.

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