Mr. Lee is the hero of the day in Seattle. (USATSI)
The Seattle Mariners needed this one. Even if Wednesday’s game against the Rangerswasn’t actually such a pivotal bout given how much of the season is still left to play, surely their collective psyche needed a boost. It was provided in the 10th inning by pinch-hitterDae-Ho Lee, who hit a walk-off homer to give the Mariners a 4-2 win. Here it is:
So why did they need this game so badly?
Well, the Mariners came out of the gate in great shape, taking two out of three in their opening series in Texas and outscoring the defending AL West champs 21-10. But then the Mariners returned home and dropped five straight, being outscored 26-7. Not only were they losing, they were getting crushed — for the most part. Since their next nine games are on the road, a loss Wednesday would have meant the Mariners would be without a home win until April 25 at the earliest.
So, psychologically, this one had to feel pretty liberating.
