SEATTLE (AP) — Emerson Hancock threw six hitless innings and Brendan Donovan launched a three-run homer as the Seattle Mariners beat the Cleveland Guardians 8-0 on Sunday to earn a four-game split in their season-opening series.
Hancock (1-0), who won a spot in the Mariners’ rotation in large part because of an injury to Bryce Miller, set a career high with nine strikeouts. The only baserunners the 26-year-old right-hander allowed came when he walked
José Ramírez in the first inning and hit CJ Kayfus with a fastball in the sixth.
It wasn’t until Guardians rookie Chase DeLauter lined a clean single to right field leading off the seventh against reliever Cooper Criswell that Seattle’s bid for a no-hitter ended. Daniel Schneemann also singled for the Guardians in the eighth.
Hancock joined Félix Hernández as the only Mariners pitchers to strike out nine or more in a hitless outing of at least six innings. Hernández did so when throwing a perfect game in 2012.
Cleveland starter Slade Cecconi (0-1) struggled to keep the Mariners’ offense at bay.
Leo Rivas hit an RBI single in the fourth and Donovan connected for his second homer with Seattle. Randy Arozarena added an RBI double in the fifth and Luke Raley had a run-scoring single.
Cal Raleigh, the AL MVP runner-up in 2025, drove in Donovan with a ground-rule double in the sixth. Arozarena knocked in Seattle’s final run in the eighth with an RBI single.
Guardians LHP Parker Messick gets the ball Monday in Los Angeles against RHP Roki Sasaki and the World Series champion Dodgers.
RHP Luis Castillo starts Monday night for Seattle against LHP Ryan Weathers in the first of three home games against the New York Yankees.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb
