Fastball

Seattle Mariners Rookie Joins Special Team History with First Career Hit on Sunday

The Seattle Mariners lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday, missing an opportunity for a sweep of the National League champs, but it was still a special day for infielder Leo Rivas, who picked up a historic first hit.

Brady Farkas

Apr 28, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners shortstop Leo Rivas (76) advances to third
Apr 28, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners shortstop Leo Rivas (76) advances to third / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

The Seattle Mariners squandered a chance for a sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday, losing 3-2, at T-Mobile Park.

The M's wasted a bases loaded, no out opportunity in the third inning and then saw their last 20 hitters in a row go down in a punchless offensive performance. The generally reliable Mariners pitching staff couldn't hold the 2-1 lead in the seventh inning as Eugenio Suarez tied it at 2-2 and then reliever Trent Thornton coughed up a run in the eighth.

Despite the loss, the game was a special one for 26-year-old infielder Leo Rivas, who made his Major League debut.

Getting the call-up because of J.P. Crawford's oblique injury, Rivas hit a triple in his first career at-bat, which put him in a small group in M's history.

Per @MarinersPR:

Leo Rivas is the 4th player in franchise history to triple in their first career plate appearance, joining:

Yuniesky Betancourt (7/28/05 vs. CLE).
Mario Díaz (9/12/87 vs. CWS)
Mickey Brantley (8/9/86 at CAL)

Crawford appears to be recovering nicely from his injury but there's still no timetable for when he'll be back. As a result, Rivas needs to be ready to make the most of whatever opportunities he gets and he certainly was on Sunday. Dylan Moore has been the primary shortstop in Crawford's absence.

After the loss, Seattle is now 15-13 on the season. They lead the American League West by a 0.5 games over the Texas Rangers and have won seven of their last 10.

Seattle plays the Atlanta Braves on Monday night at 9:40 p.m. ET.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN

Published
Brady Farkas

BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.