3/30/26

(Seattle, WA) There was no easing into the season for the Seattle Mariners in 2026 as they began the season with four against the AL Central champions in the Cleveland Guardians. After splitting that series, it does not get easier as the M’s welcome one of the most dangerous offenses in baseball in the New York Yankees for a three-game set. With both the M’s and Yankees expected to be playoff contenders in the American League, head-to-head matchups are very important for tiebreaker purposed come October.

New York could not have dreamt up a better start to their season. The Yankees played Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, giving them two off-days in San Francisco. Adding to the extra rest, the Yankees dominated the Giants as they earned the sweep and allowed just one run in the three games. New York also saw their MVP in Aaron Judge homer twice while Giancarlo Stanton got off to a hot start as well, giving the offense momentum heading to the Pacific Northwest.

In the opener of the three-game series, Seattle would see Luis Castillo make his season debut. One of the most consistent starters in the game, Castillo was pushed into the #5 spot for the specific reason of having him start the series with the Yankees, a team he has had success against (2.74 ERA) in his career. New York would send a lefty to the mound as Ryan Weathers made his Yankee debut after starting just 8 games for Miami last season.

Mariners 2, Yankees 1 (Game One, March 30th)

Luis Castillo came out of the gate on fire and the only baserunner to reach in the first two innings came on an error by Leo Rivas. Seattle’s offense got off to a better start as they put pressure on Ryan Weathers in the bottom of the 2nd. Randy Arozarena led off the inning with a single and that was followed by a Mitch Garver walk. Victor Robles and Leo Rivas were both retired as Weathers tried to get out of the jam. Cole Young wouldn’t allow it and his bat would die a hero. A broken bat blooper got down in right field and it was just as good as a line drive as Arozarena scored to give the Mariners the initial 1-0 lead.

A strikeout of Cody Bellinger got Castillo out of trouble in the 3rd but New York’s knowledge of the strike zone had him throw some extra pitches in the 4th. New York challenged four pitches in the inning and got every single one right and even got help from the lights on a pop-up by Giancarlo Stanton. However, the M’s stayed with the dropped ball and Brendan Donovan threw Stanton out trying to move up to second. Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s challenge didn’t matter as Castillo struck him out anyway to keep things rolling.

After La Piedra picked off Jose Caballero to end the top of the 5th, the Mariners put some more pressure on Ryan Weathers in the home half. Back-to-back singles by Leo Rivas and Cole Young put two on with nobody out for the top of the order. Brendan Donovan grounded out but moved the runners to second and third with a productive at-bat. Fernando Cruz came on in relief of Weathers and would get out of the jam with strikeouts of Dominic Canzone and Julio Rodríguez to keep the game 1-0.

Luis Castillo is known for being a slow starter with April being his worst month. Well, that might be true but he was pretty good in March in 2026. Castillo was brilliant in his six scoreless innings and kept Aaron Judge at bay, striking him out for La Piedra’s 1,500th career strikeout. It was vintage Luis Castillo as he allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out seven in his terrific 2026 debut.

Jose A. Ferrer was the first man out of the bullpen and got himself in some trouble in the 7th. A single by Ben Rice started the inning and he moved up to second on a wild pitch. Giancarlo Stanton sent a grounder to Brendan Donovan but an error allowed Stanton to reach safely. Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit into a fielder’s choice to put runners at the corners and saw both teams make changes as Amed Rosario pinch hit for Ryan McMahon while Eduard Bazardo took over for Ferrer. Rosario got the job done with a fly ball to center, deep enough to score Rice and tie the game. It would remain tied at 1-1 after Austin Wells grounded out as the game became a battle of the bullpens.

Seattle immediately threatened in the 7th against Brent Hedrick. After Leo Rivas went down on strikes, Cole Young doubled for his third hit of the night. Brendan Donovan slapped a single to left to put men on the corners with one out. Dan Wilson went to his bench and brought in Cal Raleigh to pinch hit for Dominic Canzone. The Big Dumper’s tough start continued though as he struck out swinging. J-Rod couldn’t get the job done with two outs either as he grounded out to second against Camilo Doval to keep the game tied as Seattle wasted a scoring opportunity.

While Gabe Speier allowed a single to Aaron Judge, he rolled through the 8th while Matt Brash pitched around a one-out double by Giancarlo Stanton in the 9th. The M’s needed just one run to walk it off without extra innings being needed and Aaron Boone decided to keep Paul Blackburn on the mound for his second inning of relief. Leo Rivas singled before Cole Young flew out to right for the first out. Brendan Donovan’s short, contact-oriented swing worked again as he singled back up the middle, moving Rivas to third with just one out. With the winning run 90-feet away, Cal Raleigh came back to the plate and got ahead 2-1 after taking a curveball in the dirt. Raleigh would get a cutter on the inner half and he pulled a grounder down the right field line for a base hit. Raleigh’s first big moment of the season finally arrived as Rivas scored, giving the Mariners their first walk-off win as they took the opener from the Yankees, 2-1.

Notable Performances

Yankees

Mariners

• Luis Castillo (ND)- 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO
• Cole Young- 3-4, 2B, RBI
• Cal Raleigh- 1-2, RBI, Walk-Off Single

What’s Next

Seattle (3-2) now have their first winning streak of the season after back-to-back wins and now look to take their first series of the year. Both teams will start their second turn around the rotation in game two on Tuesday at 6:40pm. That means it is the Opening Day starters for both teams and Logan Gilbert will be on the mound for Seattle. Gilbert went just 5 1/3 innings in the opener and allowed three runs on five hits but did not walk a batter while striking out seven. New York will send Max Fried to the hill to give the M’s another look at a lefty. This will be the best lefty Seattle has faced this season as Fried went 6 1/3 scoreless innings with two hits and one walk allowed while striking out four against the Giants.

Mariners Minor League Update (No Minor League Teams Played Monday)

While no teams were in action today, the rest of the Mariners minor league rosters were announced. Below, we have the top 10 prospects in the organization listed with where they will begin the 2026 season in the minors.

1. Colt Emerson, SS- AAA (Tacoma)
2. Kade Anderson, LHP- AA (Arkansas)
3. Ryan Sloan, RHP- AA (Arkansas)
4. Lazaro Montes, OF- AA (Arkansas)
5. Michael Arroyo, 2B- AA (Arkansas)
6. Jonny Farmelo, OF- A+ (Everett)*
7. Felnin Celesten, SS- A+ (Everett)*
8. Luke Stevenson, C- A (Inland Empire)*
9. Nick Becker, SS- A (Inland Empire)*
10. Yorger Bautista, OF- A (Inland Empire)*

*-Projected, Other Rosters will be released as seasons begin

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