SEATTLE — Greg Halman was a nervous young ballplayer last September when he was called up by the Seattle Mariners and played nine games as a first-time major leaguer.
Sunday, in his first start with the Mariners since they called him up Thursday, Halman kept his cool and was a key to their 9-6 victory over Tampa Bay. He went 3-for-4 with a two-run triple in the seventh inning that gave the Mariners a two-run lead. He also singled in the Mariners’ winning four-run rally in the eighth inning.
“How nervous I was last year compared to now was a very big difference,” Halman said. “Now, I’m a lot more relaxed.”
Halman, who started in center field as manager Eric Wedge gave Franklin Gutierrez a day off, said his third-inning single, in his first at-bat, helped ease his nerves.
“Getting my first hit in my first AB allowed me to be more relaxed and just go out there and play,” he said. “You always want to get that first one out of the way.”
Wedge was impressed with Halman’s play at spring training, but the 23-year-old suffered a broken hand the first week of the season with Class AAA Tacoma and didn’t return from the disabled list until late last month.
“We saw enough of him (at spring training) to know what he’s all about,” Wedge said. “I knew what his path was and what he needed to continue to work on. He was hurt for a little while, but prior to that and even after coming back from the injury he focused on what he needs to focus on.”
Sunday, Halman showed it by not trying to do too much in his at-bats or getting pull-happy as young players often do. His first two hits were to the opposite field and his single in the eighth was up the middle.
“He was very under control up there,” Wedge said. “There’s a lot of ability in there, a lot of power, a lot of explosiveness. He was very disciplined but up there ready to hit.
“He has good eyes, he seems very mature for a young player and I love the way he just went out there and contributed right away.”
Hall of Famer
The Cape Cod League has named Wedge to its hall of fame, prompting him to recall a little about his summer of 1988 playing for Yarmouth-Dennis in that well-known college-level league.
His most vivid memory isn’t what you’d think. Instead of a spectacular game or important victory, what he recalls most was being a 20-year-old experiencing the Northeast for the first time.
“I drove from Wichita in my 1980 Camaro, burning oil like you wouldn’t believe, to Cape Cod, which was a long haul,” Wedge said. “I remember finally getting there and checking into the hotel. It was like 3 in the morning and the receptionist was talking to me and I couldn’t understand a damned word she was saying. Her accent was so extreme. There were no ‘Rs’ in there. I said, ‘Just give me my key.”‘
Wedge batted .279 but was such a defensive star at catcher that he made the all-league team and helped the Cape Cod squad win a four-team tournament against other summer-league all-star teams.
“We had Mo Vaughn at first, (Chuck) Knoblauch at short, (Jeff) Bagwell at third and (Tim) Salmon in left field,” he said. “J.T. Snow didn’t make the team and Frank Thomas didn’t make the team.”
Of note
Brendan Ryan’s successful squeeze bunt in the third inning was the Mariners’ first this season. … Ichiro Suzuki and Halman’s triples Sunday were the first time the Mariners have hit at least two triples in the same game since Suzuki and Michael Saunders on Sept. 30, 2009. … Jack Cust went 1-for-4 and has hit safely in 22 of his past 29 games. He’s batting .229. … Stefano Langone, the singer from Kent who was a finalist on American Idol, threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Sunday’s game.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
