Mariners notebook: Another big day for the Seager family as Corey makes his MLB debut

OAKLAND – On the flight from Houston to Oakland early Thursday morning, Kyle Seager received news he had been hoping to receive – his younger brother Corey, one of baseball’s top prospects, had been called up by the Dodgers and was expected to make his big league debut that day in San Diego.

“I told him how proud I was of him and how excited I was for him and to go out there and enjoy himself and just soak it all up. Make sure you get to the park early and just soak it in,” Seager said Friday afternoon at O.Co Coliseum.

The debut was impressive. The 21-year-old shortstop went 2 for 4 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored. Kyle watched the game with his wife and son at a restaurant in San Francisco before returning to the team hotel to watch the end of the game on an app.

“It was special, to get to watch the game,” said Kyle. “I don’t get to see him actually play too much. I work out with him in the offseason, I know what his swing looks like, I know how he throws, I know how he runs. I know that stuff, but to see him in an actual game was pretty cool for me.”

Watching his brother also brought back memories.

“It kind of made me think about my debut,” he said. “When he was walking to the plate that first at-bat, you are not even sure if you are walking right, if you are walking normal. You don’t really feel anything, but I was amazed at how calm and under control he looked.”

Like his big brother, Corey Seager struck out on an inside fastball in his first MLB at-bat. But where Kyle’s first big league hit didn’t come until his fourth game, Corey’s came in his second at-bat.

“He struck out in his first at-bat, but when he hit that double me and Julie were going crazy. It was just so exciting,” said Kyle.

Big brother clearly was very proud.

“Corey making the big league debut, that’s the ultimate dream, that’s what everyone works for, that’s what we all dream,” he said. “It was unbelievably exciting. To see him get up there, get that first hit, get that double, I was amazed at how hard he hit it. The kid impresses me so much.”

And apparently he impressed the Dodgers as well. Seager was in the lineup at shortstop Thursday to give Jimmy Rollins a needed day off. On Friday he found himself back in the lineup, this time at third base and batting fifth.

Notes

• Nelson Cruz is not in the lineup and not available for pinch-hitting duties. Cruz’s strained quad is improving but he is expected to miss a few more days.

• James Paxton also is on the mend, again. Paxton had to leave his rehab start Wednesday after tearing the nail on his left middle finger. The nail bent back when Paxton threw a cutter; he pitched with it for a short while but had to be removed from the game when it started bleeding. He will be re-evaluated when the team returns home Monday. It would appear this will push back his return at least three or four days.

• Joe Beimel has been activated from the 15-day DL. Beimel, who threw a two-strikeout scoreless inning for the Rainiers Thursday in Tacoma, said he fixed a few timing issues with the help of Rainiers pitching coach Jamie Navarro and feels much better now than he did in his first two rehab appearances.

“I think just from not throwing off the mound for so long you kind of forget pretty quickly how to pitch,” he said with a laugh. “I realized the first time out there I felt like I had never done it before. It just takes a few times to get back in the groove.”

• Shawn O’Malley had a nice Mariners debut, going 3 for 4 with two RBIs Wednesday against the Astros. According to Elias Sports Bureau he became the fourth player with at least three hits and two RBIs in a Mariners debut, joining Henry Cotto (4/6/88), Eliezer Alfonzo (5/30/10), and Seth Smith (4/6/15).

• Aquasox pitcher Joseph Pistorese has received a 50-game suspension after testing positive for amphetamine. Pistorese was a 17th-round pick out of WSU for the Mariners in the 2015 draft.

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