Normally when a team has won six in a row at home, that’s the story going into game No. 7.
This isn’t normally.
Felix Hernandez, coming off the first perfect game in Seattle Mariners history, makes his first start since the perfecto Tuesday. The Mariners are making it a holiday of sorts, giving away 34,000 T-shirts to commemorate the game.
Normally, 800-1,000 or so fans would be part of a gold-shirted “King’s Court” in the left-field corner. Again, this isn’t normally. The crowd, which is expected to be close to a sellout, is being dubbed the “Supreme Court.”
Hernandez said he doesn’t know what to expect.
“I don’t know how it’s going to be,” Hernandez said. “I think I’m going to get chills. I don’t know what I’m going to do. But it’ll be good.”
Things have been good for Seattle recently, especially in Safeco Field, so the Mariners have to like having Hernandez on the mound.
The Mariners are 23-13 since the All-Star break, the best record in the American League; the A’s are 22-13.
And they are 31-30 at home, the first time since 2009 that the Mariners have had a winning record at home this late in the season since they were 48-33 at Safeco Field in 2009.
The AL Central has been particularly susceptible to the Mariners. Seattle has won its last eight games against the Central and is 19-7 in the last 26 games after going 1-5 to start the season.