Spencer Steer torpedoed the Seattle Mariners with a three-run home run and the Reds Covid depleted pitching staff was buoyed by the bullpen. The Reds held on to win the first game of the series, 6-3.
The Reds improved to 12-1 against American League West teams, sweeping the Texas Rangers, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels. They took two out of three from the Oakland Athletics.
The Reds jumped on Seattle starter Bryan Woo for two runs in the first inning. TJ Friedl was hit in the foot by Woo with one out. Woo made a great play on a squib ground ball by Spencer Steer. Elly De La Cruz belted an RBI single to right. Nick Martini was hit by a pitch and Hunter Renfroe singled to left to score De La Cruz.
Reliever TeJay Antone got the emergency start prompted by Covid IL stints by three pitchers, retired the six batters he faced, three by strikeouts. It was Antone's first game since August 24, 2021 after he missed two months that season. His last start was on September 12, 2021. He missed all of 2022, and did not pitch at all for the Reds in spring training.
"I was fun," Antone said. "I wanted to bring more emotion early on in the game. I was trying to fire up the boys. It was an honor to be chosen as a starter. Regardless if it was an opener. David chose me. I went out there and did my job. I wanted the boys to do theirs and they did. I was nervous to come back. I'm glad I got to do it in Cincinnati and not anywhere else. It was a special moment honestly."
Steer hit the three-run home run to straight away center field, his 20th of the season. He leads all rookies with 76 RBI.
"Woo has a really good fastball and he likes to throw it," Steer said. "For me personally I wasn't going to let that pitch beat me today. I was really trying to stay on that fastball. He kind of throws it from a different slot. It jumps out of his hand pretty good. Just knowing that it is his best pitch and wants to throw it. I was kind of looking for it."
Michael Mariot, a 34-year old, started 2023 in independent baseball in Cleburne, Texas. He was signed by the Reds to add pitching depth with the Covid and other injuries. He made his 44th and final appearance on October 2, 2016 pitching for the Phillies against the Mets.
"All I was trying to do was eat up some innings and put up zeroes. It wasn't all zeroes, said Mariot, who was close to quitting before the Reds signed him.
"Obviously, you have to love the game of baseball to play this long but the guys in the clubhouse is was does it for me. It is what gets me to keep playing," Mariot said. "Going into Indy ball I told my agent if I don't get picked up by this date by either MLB, Mexico or Asia I was going to go to Hawaii with my wife. I made plans but the Reds called and I was able to cancel. I'm glad they did."
The Reds had runners on second and third with two outs in the fifth and left the bases loaded in the sixth. Former Red Luke Weaver retired pinch hitter Christian Encarnacion-Strand on a ground out.
The Mariners mounted a threat to Mariot in the seventh after two were out but he walked eight hole hitter Josh Rojas. Cal Raliegh singled as a pinch hitter. David Bell trusted Lucas Sims to get out of the inning. Sims hit J.P Crawford with a two-strike pitch but he struck out Rodriguez to end the inning with the bases loaded.
The Reds extended their lead against Weaver in the bottom of the seventh Renfroe singled down the first base line. Tyler Stephenson doubled inside the third base bag into the corner to score Renfroe.
The Mariners put a threat together in the ninth. Ty France led off with a single against Farmer, who got two outs with the next two hitters. Raliegh singled to keep the game alive. Bell went to Ian Gibaut. Crawford singled to make the score 6-3 and bring up Rodriguez again as the tying run. Gibaut struck him out looking to post his second save.
"These are really extra special, so many pitchers contributed, David Bell said. "There has been a lot the last few days. It feels to me like it was an organizational win. There were a lot of hands on deck getting us through this. I can't imagine what the Triple A team is going through, being so short. They are all important but today was meaningful."
"It was fun watching him (Michael Mariot). After he came out he had a huge smile. Sometime in the next couple days, I want to sit down with him so he can take me through his whole journey but what a reward at the end. I would imagine it makes it all very worth it."
The Reds will start Connor Phillips against Seattle on Tuesday. Phillips, 22, came to the Reds in the trade for Eugenio Suarez and Jesse Winker.
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