SEATTLE — Chris Coghlan’s one-out homer in the ninth inning Friday night ruined the Mariners’ home opener and silenced the largest regular-season crowd in the history of Safeco Field.
Coghlan’s one-out drive was a no-doubter to right field against closer Steve Cishek and lifted the Oakland Athletics to a 3-2 victory. It was also the first run allowed this season in 12 innings by the Mariners’ bullpen.
“That was a good piece of hitting on way-too-good of a pitch,” Cishek said. “I was trying to elevate a little bit more. I didn’t get it up there, and he put a good swing on it.
“I felt great out there. I just didn’t execute that pitch.”
Oakland closer Ryan Madson closed out the victory by setting down the Mariners (2-2) in the bottom of the inning. Sean Doolittle (1-1) got the victory.
The loss came in front of a crowd of 47,065 on a night when Hall of Fame-electee Ken Griffey Jr. threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Cishek (0-1) was the loser.
Mariners starter Taijuan Walker settled for a no-decision after giving gave up two runs and seven hits in six innings while throwing 59 of 100 pitches for strikes.
The Mariners trailed 2-0 when Dae-Ho Lee led off the fifth inning with a 396-foot drive to the left of dead center for a homer and his first major-league hit.
“That’s a long way,” manager Scott Servias said. “He crushed the ball. He also had a very good at-bat in his next at-bat. He flew out deep to center. That’s great to see. He is a big-time player.”
Oakland starter Eric Surkamp then hit Leonys Martin with an 0-2 pitch. Martin went to third when Nori Aoki followed with a single to right-center before scoring on Ketel Marte’s sacrifice fly to center.
When an error by second baseman Jed Lowrie on Robinson Cano’s potential double-play grounder put runners at first and third, the Athletics went to the bullpen for Fernando Rodriguez.
Nelson Cruz grounded into a double play.
“We had the momentum there after the Dae-Ho Lee home run,” Servais said. “We had something going…We were in a good spot to put a big number up there.”
Instead, it stayed 2-2 until the ninth, when Coghlan jumped a 1-2 sinker from Cishek.
It didn’t start well, either.
Billy Burns lined Walker’s first pitch into center field for a single and then stole second. Burns went to third with one out when Josh Reddick singled on a slow shift-beating grounder.
But Walker escaped when Danny Valencia grounded into a double play.
The Mariners put their first two hitters on base in their first, Surkamp retired Cano, Cruz and Kyle Seager.
Walker pitched around infield errors by Seager and Cano in the second inning, but it required 25 pitches.
The Athletics broke through in the fourth after singles by Stephen Vogt and Kris Davis put runners at first and third with one out. Coghlan produced the run with a single off Lee’s glove at first.
Oakland pushed its lead to 2-0 on Reddick’s two-out homer in the fifth on a 348-foot drive into the first row of the right-field seats.
Play of the game
Dae-Ho Lee is the seventh player in Mariners history to hit a home run in his first major-league at-bat. The others are Dave Henderson, Orlando Mercado, Jamie Nelson, Alvin Davis, Greg Dobbs and Kenji Johjima.
Plus
Second baseman Robinson Cano started double plays in the first and third innings that shortstop Ketel Marte completed with strong throws. … Cano has a 20-game hitting streak dating to last season.
Minus
Nelson Cruz popped out with with runners at first and second with one out in the first inning and grounded into a double play with one out and runners at first and third in the fifth inning.
Stat pack
The crowd of 47,065 was the largest in history at Safeco Field for a regular-season game. The previous record was 46,596 on May 9, 2004 for a game against the New York Yankees.
Short hops
Taijuan Walker is the second-youngest Mariners pitcher to start a home opener at 23 years, 239 days. Felix Hernandez was younger in 2007 at 20 years, 359 days. … The Mariners are 24-16 in home openers.
Up next
The three-game series continues at 6:10 p.m. Saturday when right-hander Nathan Karns (7-5 with a 3.67 ERA in 2015 with Tampa Bay) makes his Mariners’ debut.
The Athletics are starting left-hander Rich Hill (0-1, 6.75). The game can be seen on Root Sports Northwest and heard on 710 ESPN.
Hill started last Monday in the season opener when food poisoning sidelined ace Sonny Gray. Hill gave up four runs (two earned) in 2 2/3 innings in a 4-3 loss to the Chicago White Sox.
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