SEATTLE — Rich Aurilia’s debut as a Mariner was not supposed to go like this. Not after all the hours that the new Seattle shortstop spent working with fellow infielder Bret Boone during spring training.
Yet the cruel joke played out in front of a sellout crowd Tuesday, when Aurilia saw what was supposed to be a memorable debut quickly dissipate into a forgettable afternoon.
Anaheim leadoff hitter David Eckstein tagged Jamie Moyer’s second pitch just out of Aurilia’s reach for a single in the top of the first inning, and then the Mariners’ new shortstop botched a sure-fire double play a few minutes later.
Three batters into his first game in a Mariners’ uniform, Aurilia was already feeling like he had let the home fans down.
By the time his afternoon got better, it was too late to save the Mariners. His two-run double in the eighth inning wasn’t enough to forge a comeback in Seattle’s 10-5 loss to Anaheim.
"I’m new here, and that’s the first time the fans have really seen me play," Aurilia said of his first-inning error. "The first taste they got was an error, and of course you don’t want that. But then you shake it off, you come back, get a hit, and hopefully all is forgotten.
"And then they come back tomorrow and cheer for you."
Aurilia set the tone for the Mariners’ frustrating season opener with a defensively dismal first two innings. While Eckstein’s leadoff single probably would have gotten past anyone not named Ozzie Smith, the error and a dropped ball in the second inning left Aurilia feeling like the stitches of his glove were missing.
With one out in the top of the first and Eckstein standing on first base, Aurilia blew a probable double play when he mishandled Vladimir Guerrero’s routine ground ball to short. The ball bounced of Aurilia’s glove, then he fell to the dirt while he tried to hurriedly pick it up and toss to Bret Boone at second base.
Both Erstad and Guerrero were safe on the play. Fortunately for Aurilia, Moyer pitched his way out of the scoreless inning by retiring the final two batters.
"If I get that same chance tomorrow, I make the double play," Aurilia said. "I’m just glad it didn’t come back and hurt us. Jamie picked me up that inning."
Aurilia’s defensive struggles continued in the second, when a beautiful throw from right fielder Ichiro Suzuki failed to nail Anaheim’s Adam Kennedy because the Mariners’ shortstop again mishandled the ball. Suzuki cleanly fielded Kennedy’s liner off the wall, then turned and threw to Aurilia covering second base. Suzuki had Kennedy nailed by a step or two, only Aurilia never made the play. His attempted sweep tag came up empty when the throw bounced on the dirt, hit his glove, and got away.
" (Suzuki’s throw) was up the line a little bit," Aurilia said of a play that didn’t result in an error or any runs. "I had to go up and get it, and then come back and try to make the tag. It was one of those do-or-die plays, and I didn’t get it."
Aurilia partially atoned for his defensive struggles and three hitless at-bats by recording his first Seattle hit in the eighth. His bases-loaded double scored two runs in the four-run inning, closing a 10-1 deficit into a 10-5 Anaheim lead.
But that wasn’t enough to save the Mariners, or Aurilia, from heartache.
"The bottom line is, we lost today," Aurilia said. "Hopefully we come out (Wednesday) and play more like we did the last two innings."
Aurilia’s early defensive play may have set off some bells and whistles for Seattle fans who wondered whether the 2004 Mariners would have the same defensive prowess as the 2003 unit that set a major league record for the fewest errors in a season (65). But one game — or, more to the point, two bad innings — might not necessarily foreshadow things to come.
Aurilia had 13 errors last season, which was one fewer than 2003 starter Carlos Guillen did with Seattle. And outfielders Raul Ibanez and Randy Winn tracked down enough balls to make the Mariners faithful temporarily forget center fielder Mike Cameron.
Earlier in his career, Tuesday’s defensive gaffes may well have kept Aurilia up at night. But he’s been in the majors since 1995, so he knows not to dwell on mistakes.
"It’s part of being a professional," Aurilia said. "You hear some boos, you come back in the eighth and drive in a run, and then they love you again. It’s part of the game."
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