A five-run third inning gave the Minnesota Twins a 6-1 lead, and rookie Pat Dean kept the game out of reach to notch a win over Seattle Mariners ace Felix Hernandez.
Dean, 27, gave up a first-inning home run to Franklin Gutierrez, and the thought among the 40,000-plus fans at Safeco Field was that the rout was on. Instead Dean composed himself and gave up only four hits and two earned runs in 7.0 innings in the Twins’ 7-2 win over the Mariners.
“He’s a great pitcher. He’s had a lot of success throughout his whole career,” Dean told the Associated Press when asked about Hernandez. “It definitely makes it fun to go out there competing against a guy like him. Luckily, we got to him and I was able to keep the team in the game. That’s all you can ask for.”
Hernandez managed to go 6.0 innings, but gave up six of the team’s seven runs Friday night.
“He stayed calm. It was pretty amazing. But that’s kind of his demeanor, laid-back,” catcher Kurt Suzuki told the Star Tribune. “He pitched his butt off tonight. He outpitched Felix.”
The AL West-leading Mariners had come in having won six of their last seven games.
“Obviously he is a great pitcher, had a great career and pitched a lot of great ballgames, but tonight was not one of them,” Mariners manager Scott Servais told the Associated Press. “They just kind of got going on him there in the third inning and he couldn’t get them off his stuff. It happens. He is going to start 34 or 35 games for us and I hope that’s the only one like that, but it’s going to happen every once in a while.”
[Star Tribune, Associated Press]
