Posted by Oh no here we go again! Heading into the bottom of the second inning the Mariners were looking to be coming together nicely. Obviously it was still very early into the season, but Kyle Seager was batting a thousand (4/4), Dee Gordon had just hit his first Mariners home run, and Felix Hernandez struck out two batters in the first inning. This coupled with some solid pitching performances by Andrew Moore and Marco Gonzales over the weekend and signs were pointing in a positive direction. Then disaster struck.
Felix Hernandez was just hit hard by a comebacker. Medical staff attending to him. He’s coming out of game.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 26, 2018
Felix was struck by a line-drive in the upper arm, dangerously close to his throwing elbow, and in obvious pain and discomfort was forced to leave the game. An obviously scary situation for a team that went through an array of injury problem, and a pitcher right in the middle of those problems, one couldn’t help but feel discouraged once again. Especially with players like Mitch Haniger, Daniel Vogelbach, top prospect Kyle Lewis, and Ryon Healy already dealing with injuries. Healy expected to be out for all of spring training after a surgery that removed a bone spur in his right hand.
Felix was examined by Dr.Rice, precautionary x-ray negative.
— Shannon Drayer (@shannondrayer) February 26, 2018
Initial X-Rays did come back negative for Felix, allowing for a big sigh of relief, but one can’t help but feel the apprehension again that surrounded last year’s injury-filled season. The 2018 season has just started and bright spots abound, but maybe a few crossed fingers and knocks on wood are in order. Injury concerns are a part of baseball, and fairly common especially for pitchers, but maybe just maybe the Mariners could avoid some of that this season! Fortune will have to smile on them in that regard if they hope to have any shot of a Postseason appearance.
