Hancock tosses 6 no-hit innings as Mariners blank Guardians

SEATTLE -- Call it an evening of recalibration for the Mariners.

For manager Dan Wilson in this Opening Week series that had more stress than anticipated. For their leverage relievers getting a necessary breather. For their offense living up to its lofty billing in an 8-0 win.

And above all, for Emerson Hancock, who yearns to make a name for himself beyond a de facto injury fill-in.

The defending American League West champions were on cruise control in front of a national broadcast in the first edition of a new-look Sunday Night Baseball. And in spite of the lopsided score, it was largely on the shoulders of Hancock, who pitched like the mascot from his alma mater.

The former Georgia Bulldog held the contact-heavy Guardians hitless over six innings while racking up a career-high nine strikeouts.

Yes, hitless -- and among 19 batters faced.

“Emerson executed to the highest degree,” Wilson said. “And it was a day where we needed him.”

The only baserunners to reach against Hancock were José Ramírez, via a first-inning walk, and No. 8 hitter CJ Kayfus, who was hit by a pitch to lead off the sixth. And the latter came at a time where Wilson entrusted Hancock to work through an extra inning in an effort to steal a few final outs and stave off his bullpen usage.

The Mariners were already up 6-0 and well on their way to victory. But navigating that final frame on a night where Andrés Muñoz and Eduard Bazardo were unavailable, and probably Gabe Speier too, sets them up nicely moving to another big series looming Monday against the Yankees.

“It just gives you confidence in your process of how you're doing things,” Hancock said. “It's one of those things where you can't quite chase that type of result. But if you're in there and you're committed to every pitch, you're doing the best that you can, throwing a lot of strikes, limiting free bases, I feel like a lot of good things can happen.”

The breathing room was made possible by a big breakout from the offense -- headlined by a three-run homer from Brendan Donovan, and on a night where the Mariners saw two fly balls (from Randy Arozarena and Josh Naylor) die at the warning track thanks to the pesky marine layer.

But this night was mostly about Hancock, who easily turned in the best start among the Mariners’ rotation the first time through -- outshining the likes of Logan Gilbert, George Kirby and Bryan Woo, while Luis Castillo takes the mound on Monday.

The sweeper that Hancock harnessed in Spring Training generated one silly swing after another, while the four-seam fastball was dotted at the top of the zone with conviction, even with a slight dip in velocity -- perhaps a byproduct of the 43-degree temperatures at first pitch.

But the way the two play off each other -- darting on different planes and with 15 mph in velocity variation -- could make both legitimate weapons. The sweeper has the chance to be a plus pitch for him.

“With that pitch, you're playing the speed game and the break game,” Hancock said. “It's something slower. It's something that was breaking a lot through the zone. And if you can throw it in the zone, it can help a ton. And then the heater for me, I'm just trying to see it at [the catcher’s] mask, and just rip it through there.”

We’ve seen Hancock turn in a gem here and there, for sure. But it was the mound presence that persevered in a way that truly hadn’t until this night. It was the look of a pitcher on the attack, and one who believes he belongs on this stage.

Hancock is in the Mariners’ Opening Day rotation for the third straight season due to an injury to an incumbent. This year, he’s holding things down while Bryce Miller recovers from left oblique inflammation, an issue that first surfaced during the right-hander’s Cactus League debut.

Miller could return by late April, which gives Hancock a short window in the grand scheme of things -- but enough to leave a lasting impression.

Because for Hancock, this has always been about the long game. At this time last year, he was being optioned to Triple-A Tacoma after his regular-season debut, when surrendering six earned runs and failing to make it out of the first inning. Later on, he transitioned to relief in late August out of team need.

But he could see his starter role stick this time around with outings like Sunday’s.