Mariners engage Rangers, emerge with Flying Colors, win 4-0 (2024)

One of the reasons I am the way I am today is that I read the Horatio Hornblower books by C. S. Forester when I was in middle school. The 12 volume series follows the exploits and career of fictional British Navy officer Horatio Hornblower during the Napoleonic Wars. They feature action, romance, sailing, and adventure, but none of those are what I want to talk about today. Instead, I want to tell you about the character Hornblower himself, and why he can be seen in these 2024 Mariners.

Perhaps the single most prevalent trait of Hornblower across every story he’s in is competence. No matter what situation he’s put in, expect for romantic ones, he is able to find a clever trick to outperform both his opponent and others’ expectations of him. Yet Hornblower is also wracked with a chronic lack of self-confidence. He cannot see that competence that makes him so exceptional, and instead sees himself as a lucky fool. His victories, great as they are, never manifest in his mind.

These symptoms are no-doubt familiar to all of us who suffer from something approaching imposter syndrome. It is easy to dismiss one’s own achievements as lucky or somehow invalid. All too easy, in the case of the Mariners.

Logan Gilbert, for example, while being many people’s sneaky Cy Young pick, always seems like he’s still trying to prove he belongs in such an elite rotation. Despite coming into every new season with a magic new putaway pitch, he stays humble, always giving credit to his battery mate and the defense behind him. And yet, when he’s pitching, we can all see the true depths of his skill.

But sometimes he has to buckle down and find it within himself. To start tonight’s game against the Texas Rangers, Logan found himself in a little bit of trouble. He was wild, especially with his cutter and splitter, and couldn’t seem to find the zone. He had only walked 4 batters this season before tonight’s game, and he added 2 to that total in the first inning. It was only by the grace of Nathaniel Lowe grounding out on a pitch low and inside that Logan escaped without damage.

The second inning threatened to go the same way, when Gilbert and Wyatt Langford fought in a drawn out, 9 pitch PA that ended in a walk, the last couple being pretty non-competitive.

But then the competitor that is Walter took over from Logan, and he ended the inning with a three pitch strikeout and a soft lineout.

And Walter stayed in control, with only one more hitter, Josh Smith, reaching base until the 7th inning. Command remained an issue, especially with the breaking balls, but Gilbert was able to induce awkward swings and weak contact for the rest of the game. When he challenged the hitters, he always won.

But you wouldn’t know it from looking at him. When, with his 100th pitch of the night, he walked Jonah Heim with two outs in the bottom of the 7th, he was just as mad as he’d have been if he gave up a run. Maybe later he’ll come to see that he had just thrown 6.2 shutout innings against one of the most productive lineups in the game. Like Hornblower, it’ll take time.

Julio Rodriguez is another Horatio Mariner. Last year, he was an all-star, finished 4th in MVP voting, and set the record for the most hits in a 4 game span. For most players, that would be a career year. And yet Julio was not satisfied and called it a down year.

He knows what he’s capable of, and he’s always trying to push to do more than even that. And sometimes, he astonishes us all. Maybe even himself.

Which brings us to the final Hornblower of the night. A man who someone once said is “not very tough to pitch to if you execute your pitches.” I’m not sure I can say with certainty what executing your pitches looks like, but it’s definitely not this.

Cal Raleigh, with his humble, small-town North Carolinian demeanor, is one of the best hitters in the game right now, let alone one of the best-hitting catchers. But you won’t hear that from him. He’ll just smile and say something like “I just recognized it out of the hand and tried to stay with it.” As if everyone’s hit 4 homers in their last 5 games. But those of us who have been glued to each one of Cal’s 70 at bats, we know exactly how special he is.

With this win the Mariners have moved into first place in the AL West. If they can keep this momentum and take the series from the reigning World Series champs, they’ll be in a good position before hosting the WS runners-up here in Seattle this weekend. Hopefully, like the title of the first Hornblower book published, it’ll be A Happy Return.