SEATTLE – More than a year had passed since Matt Harrison had last taken the mound for the Texas Rangers, and it had been 19 months since the left-handed starter had earned a Major League win.
Having finally returned to the mound Sunday afternoon, Harrison appeared well on his way to getting the win. But some late-game heroics from Seattle Mariners slugger Kyle Seager spoiled an otherwise storybook return for Harrison.
“It was a tough loss,” Harrison said after Seager’s second home run of the night drove in three runs in the eighth inning to beat the Rangers 6-5. “It seems like Seager has our number. He’s been tough on us the last few years, and it just didn’t work out.”
When Harrison left Sunday’s game after six innings and 95 pitches, his return seemed like an overwhelming success. He had held Seattle to just two runs off three hits and handed the ball to the bullpen with a 5-2 lead. Seager and the Mariners came back to spoil the day, leaving Harrison to continue his search for his first victory since Sept. 2012.
But it was an otherwise successful return for Harrison, who was coming off April 2013 back surgery.
“He looked really sharp,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said.
Harrison was upset by the way Sunday’s game ended but still found a silver lining in that his return went better than expected.
“I felt good about it,” he said. “I’m just glad to be back. It’s been a long road.”