Opening day in the baseball season, or in the case of 2018, opening night for the Indians, is like an annual class reunion where friends gather and dream about the future.
Or maybe it’s more like the wait finally ends when in early October hearing in our imagination the message: “We interrupt Major League Baseball to bring you a five-month offseason.”
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However you want to view it, baseball is back, and that means the quest to return to the World Series after getting knocked out in the ALDS last fall is officially underway.
The season began the way 2017 ended for the Indians — with Tribe ace Corey Kluber getting tattooed for a home run in the bottom of the first inning. Seattle Mariners designated hitter Nelson Cruz, who led all of baseball with 119 RBI last season, with a runner on and two out, clobbered the first pitch he saw from Kluber over the center field fence in Safeco Field. Kluber gave up two home runs in 3 2/3 innings and took the loss to the Yankees in Game 5 of the ALDS last year.
The mistake was the difference in the 2-1 loss to the Mariners on March 29.
Kluber, though, is nicknamed “Klubot” for a reason, and if he continues to pitch as he did in the opener, the Indians will be in good hands every fifth day. He got the Mariners to ground into double plays to end the second and third innings. He put them down in order in the fourth and then squirmed out of a jam in the bottom of the fifth with the help of shortstop Francisco Lindor, whose diving stop of a grounder by Seattle catcher Mike Marjama saved a run.
Kluber pitched eight innings and struck out seven Mariners, but the Indians’ bats couldn’t solve the Seattle pitching.
The game against the Mariners was the fourth straight opening game assignment for Kluber. He is still looking for his first opening day victory.
Kluber was a hard-luck loser on opening day in 2015. He gave up two runs on three hits in 7 1/3 innings in a 2-0 loss to the Astros. A year later he gave up four runs in 5 1/3 innings in a 6-2 loss to the Red Sox. Last season he was rocked for five runs in six innings in a 6-2 loss to the Rangers.
Mariners starter Felix Hernandez outdueled Kluber through five innings. Hernandez was lifted with one out in the top of the sixth and his team ahead, 2-0.
There were reasons to be encouraged beyond the way Kluber pitched.
• Yonder Alonso, signed to play first base when Carlos Santana signed with the Phillies in free agency, showed off his glove when he picked a low throw by Lindor out of the dirt in the bottom of the sixth.
• Second baseman Jason Kipnis, healthy again after an injury-riddled 2017, singled in his second at-bat. Last year, he began the season on the disabled list with a shoulder injury.
• Lonnie Chisenhall, who led the Indians with 51 RBI at the All-Star break last year but was never healthy after that, doubled into the right-field corner with two out in the seventh and scored the Tribe’s first run of the season.
• Add Rajai Davis’ name to the list of positives that came out of the loss. He was used as pinch runner with one out in the ninth, flustered Mariners closer Edwin Diaz into committing a balk and stole third. He was stranded when Yan Gomes and Tyler Naquin struck out to end the game. But he showed the rest of baseball his speed will be a weapon for the Indians in the future