Mariners Baseball: Seattle off to Slow Start in Japan Prior to Season Opener

Ichiro Suzuki may have been a crowd-pleasing hit during the Seattle Mariners' exhibition games in Japan, but the M's performance has been anything but. 

The Mariners lost, 5-1, in an exhibition game to the Hanshin Tigers on Sunday. In that game, Ichiro Suzuki hit a single in the top of the first before grounding out at his next three at-bats.  Suzuki currently leads the M's with a .272 batting average, 80 runs, and 40 stolen bases. The M’s only run in the game came from Casper Wells, who hit a home run in the ninth. 

Despite the exhibition loss, the Mariners took some joy out of playing in the Tokyo Dome in front of a crowd of over 42,000. 

The Daily Yomiuri quoted Seattle Mariners’ manager Eric Wedge as having this to say about the exhibition:

"

It's great for all these guys--Kuma, Mune, Ichi--all of them have an opportunity to come back and play where they played for so long...and were so popular…Obviously, Ichiro's been on another level for a lot of years. I think it was evident when all those guys were introduced today that it was special for the fans, and it was special for them [the players], too.

"

The Mariners also lost, 9-3, in Monday’s exhibition game to the Yomiuri Giants. In that game, Ichiro Suzuki went 0-for-4 while at bat. 

Not breaking his 20-year trend, Nintendo chairman and majority stake owner of the Seattle Mariners, 84-year-old Hiroshi Yamauchi, did not attend either of the exhibition games. 

The trip to Japan is more than just fanfare and a season opener, as the Mariners will be trying to help a country still rebuilding from last year’s tragic events. 

On Tuesday, both the Mariners and the Oakland Athletics will conduct a baseball clinic in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture. The city was one of the hardest hit by the 2011 tsunami. 

In regard to the trip to Japan, the Daily Yomiuri quoted 2010 AL Cy Young winner, Felix Hernandez, as saying, "I'm honored to be here… I'm just looking forward to pitching on Opening Day."

With the exhibitions now over, the Mariners will open the 2012 MLB season against the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday and Thursday in Japan. 

Oakland, who leads the preseason AL West, beat the Yomiuri Giants, 5-0, on Sunday, before losing, 12-6, to the Hanshin Tigers on Monday.

The Mariners trail Oakland by 2.5 games in the preseason. Seattle beat Oakland, 8-5, on March 2, before losing, 9-2, to the A’s on March 3 and 6-1 on March 16. 

Following the regular season games against Oakland in Japan, the Mariners will return to Peoria for five more spring games. After that, the M's continue their regular season on the road against Oakland and Texas.

The Mariners will host Oakland on Friday, April 13, for the 2012 home opener at Safeco Field. Yes, the Seattle Mariners' home opener will be occurring on Friday the 13th.