Pitch clock sparks Mariners rally for 3-0 win over Guardians

SEATTLE – J.P. Crawford was the beneficiary of a pitch-clock violation. One big swing from Ty France made certain it became noteworthy on opening day.

Crawford’s walk helped by a timer infraction called on James Karinchak sparked an eighth-inning rally that was capped by France’s three-run homer, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Cleveland Guardians 3-0 on Thursday night.

“Obviously, there’s a lot of buzz around town about the expectations and what we hope to do this season and you can’t get off on a much better start than we did tonight,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said.

Opening day was a dramatic pitchers’ duel between Cleveland ace Shane Bieber and Seattle’s Luis Castillo that lacked any offense until the wild eighth inning.

Crawford walked on a 3-2 pitch but only after being gifted a ball when Karinchak (0-1) committed the lone pitch-clock violation of the game with the count 0-2. The reliever was clearly rattled, firing the pitch after the violation to the backstop. Crawford fouled off a couple of pitches and eventually walked on a check-swing that Cleveland argued should have been a foul ball.

Guardians manager Terry Francona believed the ball had been foul tipped.

“It happens and you’re hoping that doesn’t spur on more, but James had a tough inning … and that made for a tougher inning,” Francona said.

Kolten Wong was hit by a pitch with one out and France went opposite field with a pitch out of the strike zone and cleared the wall down the right-field line.

France doubled off the wall in right-center earlier in the game and finished a triple short of the cycle. His homer ended any flashbacks the Mariners were experiencing from the last time they were in T-Mobile Park last October and lost 1-0 to Houston in 18 innings in the ALDS.

“We hadn’t scored a run in 26 innings so it was time,” France said.

Andrés Muñoz ran into trouble in the ninth, giving up a single to Amed Rosario and a double to José Ramírez with two outs. But the Seattle reliever got Guardians newcomer Josh Bell to ground out for the save, finishing a game that wrapped up in a brisk 2 hours, 14 minutes.

Until the eighth, pitching was the story for both teams looking to replicate their playoff runs from last season.

Castillo was dominant from the outset with another overpowering performance that fell in line with several spectacular starts last season after he was acquired from Cincinnati.

Castillo needed just 74 pitches to get through six innings and that ended up being his limit. He struck out six and the only runner he allowed came on an infield single that clipped the right-hander.

It was a scary moment at first as Will Brennan’s line drive struck the back of Castillo’s head, with most of the impact appearing to be absorbed by the pitcher’s dreadlocks. Castillo said it was about 50/50 between impact on his head and his hair.

“When the ball hit me, I realized that was OK right away,” Castillo said through an interpreter.

Three relievers finished the four-hitter. Paul Sewald (1-0) worked a hitless eighth.

Despite constant traffic on the bases, Bieber kept Seattle off the scoreboard and matched Castillo with six shutout innings. Bieber scattered six hits and struck out three, and most importantly came up with key pitches with two outs and runners in scoring position.

“I couldn’t really buy a clean inning today but that’s what it’s all about, trying to bend not break, and was able to do that for a couple of innings,” Bieber said.

Seattle threatened in the third, fifth and sixth against Bieber but was unable to get a two-out hit with a runner at third. France grounded out in the third and Julio Rodríguez hit a line drive that was run down by Brennan in right-center to end the fifth.

France doubled in the sixth – missing a home run by about a foot – but ended up stuck at third after Cal Raleigh popped out.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mariners: INF Dylan Moore (oblique) remains in Arizona at the club’s spring training facility. Moore was placed on the injured list before the opener, but the team is hopeful he’ll be back by mid-April. … OF Taylor Trammell was also placed on the injured list. Trammell is still a few weeks from getting out on a rehab assignment.

UP NEXT

Guardians: RHP Hunter Gaddis made two starts last season and allowed 15 earned runs in 7 1/3 innings.

Mariners: LHP Robbie Ray threw 13 shutout innings against Cleveland last season in two starts.

CARSON CITY, Nev. — A bill introduced in the Nevada Legislature would give the Oakland Athletics up to $380 million for a potential 30,000 seat, $1.5 billion retractable roof stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.

The bulk of the public funding would come from $180 million in transferable tax credits from the state and $120 million in county bonds, which can vary based on interest rate returns. Clark County also would contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

The A’s have been looking for a home to replace Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. The team had sought to build a stadium in Fremont, San Jose and finally the Oakland waterfront, all ideas that never materialized.

The plan in the Nevada Legislature won’t directly raise taxes. It can move forward with a simply majority vote in the Senate and Assembly. Lawmakers have a little more than a week to consider the proposal before they adjourn June 5, though it could be voted on if a special session is called.

The Athletics have agreed to use land on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, where the Tropicana Las Vegas casino resort sits. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has said he is disappointed the team didn’t negotiate with Oakland as a “true partner.”

Las Vegas would be the fourth home for a franchise that started as the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901-54. It would become the smallest TV market in Major League Baseball and the smallest market to be home to three major professional sports franchises.

The team and Las Vegas are hoping to draw from the nearly 40 million tourists who visit the city annually to help fill the stadium. The 30,000-seat capacity would make it the smallest MLB stadium.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said a vote on the Oakland Athletics’ prospective move to Las Vegas could take place when owners meet June 13-15 in New York.

The plan faces an uncertain path in the Nevada Legislature. Democratic leaders said financing bills, including for the A’s, may not go through if Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoes the five budget bills, which he has threatened to do as many of his priorities have stalled or faded in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Under the bill, the Clark County Board of Commissioners would create a homelessness prevention and assistance fund along the stadium’s area in coordination with MLB and the Nevada Resort Association. There, they would manage funds for services, including emergency rental and utility assistance, job training, rehabilitation and counseling services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The lease agreement with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority would be up for renewal after 30 years.

Nevada’s legislative leadership is reviewing the proposal, Democratic state Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager said in a statement.

“No commitment will be made until we have both evaluated the official proposal and received input from interested parties, including impacted community members,” Yeager said.