SEATTLE -- Individually, Kade Anderson's debut might’ve ended on a sour note. But all that mattered for the Mariners’ wunderkind left-hander was that he was part of a thrilling walk-off a few innings later.
“It was just a blast out there, and the way the game finished was truly really cool,” Anderson said.
Had Randy Arozarena not saved the day with a go-ahead, two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to give the Mariners a 5-4 win, the conversation on this one probably would’ve centered on if the leash on Anderson was too long.
But nonetheless, the former LSU standout showed poise, polish and precisely why he’s here to help this playoff push, with the Mariners now three games back of first place in the American League West.
“The team was counting on me for a big game today,” Anderson said. “These games matter, especially when the season is getting shorter and shorter. These games matter. I understood that going in. Obviously, it’s a big day for me, but it’s an even bigger day for this organization So just going out there and giving the team a chance to win is all that matters.”
Transitioning from a Minor League world where the primary focus is player development, Anderson has been thrust into a pressure-packed environment. But this is not unfamiliar territory for the No. 3 overall pick in last year’s MLB Draft, who led LSU to a Men’s College World Series title while picking up Most Outstanding Player honors.
“I've had the opportunity to pitch in some pretty big games, and I used those games to help me through this one,” Anderson said. “Obviously, there's going to be some jitters, but I feel like I controlled them pretty well and got through those pretty quick.
“It's just another game, and I feel like when you have that mindset, it clearly just calms the nerves a little bit.”
Anderson was at 72 pitches when he was sent back out for the sixth, just shy of his season-high 80 at Double-A Arkansas, where he averaged about 5 1/3 innings per start.
More telling was that it was the third time through the order, a challenge for even the most established pitchers. For context, the MLB average OPS the third time through is .744, and against Mariners starters, it’s .758.
The Cubs’ offense, meanwhile, ranks second in MLB with an .831 OPS the third time through against opposing pitchers. Chicago also entered play as the sport’s most effective lineup against left-handed pitching -- ranking first in OPS (.805) and wRC+ (124, where league average is 100).
Yet, manager Dan Wilson wanted to give Anderson the chance to clear the sixth.
“A chance for him to really finish it off,” Wilson said. “It didn't go that way, but I think he takes a lot of positives away from today.”
The big flies against Anderson came immediately after he generated a grounder to third baseman Weston Wilson that turned into a 5-3-4 double play, thanks to quick-trigger awareness and a throw to match it from first base baseman Josh Naylor, which erased a leadoff double from Pete Crow-Armstrong.
PCA’s liner nearly left the yard, too, but it instead nicked the yellow padding atop the right-field wall. Anderson also avoided another homer in the third inning thanks to a remarkable robbery from left fielder Randy Arozarena, whose glove went completely over the fence to yank one back from Miguel Amaya.
He finished 5 2/3 innings with three earned runs on five hits and two walks, with five strikeouts. Some of the swing-and-miss was as advertised, including a first-inning punchout of Alex Bregman -- who also starred at LSU, 10 years earlier -- on a changeup that capped an eight-pitch at-bat.
“He’s someone I’ve admired for a long time,” Anderson said. “So that was pretty cool. But he obviously got me back later.”
Anderson arrived with as much fanfare as any pitching prospect in franchise history since Félix Hernández debuted as a 19-year-old prodigy in 2005.
For more recent comparisons, his rapid rise through the Minors was not far off that of Paul Skenes (2024) and Stephen Strasburg (2010), as Anderson is just 13 months removed from being selected with the No. 3 overall pick in last year’s MLB Draft.
He was objectively the best pitcher in the Minors, leading all qualified arms (min. 80 innings) in ERA (1.06), strikeout-to-walk ratio (10.38), K rate (40.5%), opponents’ batting average (.147), opponents’ OPS (.399) and WHIP (0.64) while ranking fifth in walk rate (3.9%).