King Felix on Opening Day

Overnight tonight, the Mariners will begin their 2012 campaign. So far, their trip to Japan has not gone well, as they were soundly defeated by both the Hanshin Tigers and Yomiuri Giants. Fortunately, neither of those games count in the official standings. But, tonight things begin for real against the Oakland Athletics.

The good news is that the Mariners will have King Felix on the hill. Over his career, Felix has started on Opening Day four times (2007, 2009, 2010, 2011). Three of these Opening Days (2007, 2010, 2011), Felix has taken on Oakland.

Opening Day 2007 is considered by many to be Felix’s emergence as the ace of the Mariner rotation. That cool April afternoon, Felix tossed eight shutout innings, allowing just three hits and striking out 12 in a 4-0 Mariner win.

Opening Day 2010, too, featured a Mariner win, though Felix’s statistics were far more pedestrian. In 6.2 innings he allowed three runs on three hits and six walks. Felix earned a no-decision in that start.

Finally, Felix shined brightly again on Opening Day 2011 down in Oakland. He earned the win in a complete game, five-hit masterpiece in which he allowed just two runs. He did not walk anybody and struck out five, needing 108 pitches.

Ultimately, Felix and the Mariners have done well against the Athletics in recent Opening Days. Collectively, Felix holds a 2-0 record (Mariners are 3-0), with a miniscule 1.90 ERA.

Will these numbers translate to Felix tonight at the Tokyo Dome? Hopefully he will be sharp because Felix’s Opening Day counterpart, Brandon McCarthy, maintained a similarly-stingy 1.99 ERA against the Mariners in four starts last season, including three complete games (McCarthy went just 1-3 in those starts, despite his strong numbers).

The Tokyo Dome will not be the same atmosphere as Safeco or the Oakland Coliseum. Will jet lag factor into Felix’s performance? Will the A’s young hitters, guys like Jemile Weeks and Yoenis Cespedes, send Felix to the clubhouse early? There is one thing on which Mariner fans can agree—there is no other pitcher we would rather have toe the rubber tonight in Tokyo.

Opening Day comes just once a year.

Another Year, Another Spring Training for this Ancient Former Mariner

He’s now 49, and he’s coming off the Tommy John surgery that forced him to miss the entire 2011 season. But this spring, Jamie Moyer, the all-time leader in Mariner wins, is back on the mound competing for a spot in the Colorado Rockies’ rotation.

In his first two Cactus League appearances, Moyer looked like his old self. In five innings, including one three-inning start, he allowed just one run (1.80 ERA) on three hits; and, he struck out three without walking a batter.

But, like many comeback stories, Moyer’s will not be without obstacles. He was scratched from his scheduled start Friday due to stiffness in his left leg. Jim Tracy, the Rockies’ manager, said he has no timetable for Moyer’s return to the mound. But, if he will have a legitimate shot at earning a spot in the rotation, Moyer cannot afford to miss more than just a few days.

There are now just two active players in MLB who played at the big-league level in the 1980s—both former Mariners. In addition to Moyer, former Mariner shortstop Omar Vizquel, now 45 years old, is competing for a utility infielder spot with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Spring Training is laden with competition for limited roster spots. Moyer’s health and production the next few weeks will dictate whether the Rockies will bring him north when the team breaks camp prior to opening day.