SEATTLE -- How do you replace a legend? Ask Mariners rookie Brandon Brennan.

In this age of relievers becoming “openers” in Major League Baseball, Brennan may have perfected the art of being a “follower.” As in a follower of iconic departures.

The 28-year-old Rule 5 Draft pick made his Major League debut in the Tokyo Series on March 21 in Ichiro Suzuki’s farewell game, taking the mound in the eighth inning just as Ichiro was being pulled off the field to a frenzied reaction from the Tokyo Dome fans.

Fast forward to Thursday at T-Mobile Park, where Félix Hernández was removed from his final start with one out in the sixth inning, setting off an emotional scene with Hernández exchanging tearful hugs with teammates and his King’s Court cheering section.

The reliever summoned by Mariners manager Scott Servais in the midst of that historical Mariners moment? That would be Brennan, jogging in from the bullpen once again as a crowd was going wild over a hero’s departure.

Brennan got two quick outs to finish off Hernández's sixth inning and keep the score at 3-1, then he headed to the dugout to absorb that he’d just witnessed history up close and personal once again.

“I got two of the best innings of the year, I think, in all Major League Baseball,” Brennan said. “I got to go behind potentially two Hall of Famers, two dudes who were absolutely phenomenal. For a first-year rookie, that’s pretty special for me.”

Brennan’s head was swimming a bit in Tokyo, given that he was making his MLB debut as the crowd was going nuts. This time, he was a little more prepared.

“I had a little practice from Japan, obviously,” Brennan said with a smile. “The nice part was at least this time, I knew what was going to happen. In Japan, I had absolutely no clue Ichiro was going to be taken off, so I did all my warmups and then he came off and I was like, ‘Uh, all right, well, here we go.’

“This one, I took my time more in the bullpen and took a real slow walk to the mound because I knew he was going to have his little sendoff. We’d talked about whoever does go in, just be prepared that the fans are going to give him an ovation and he’s going to take his time. So I had a pretty good idea.”

Brennan said that his sole goal was to get out of the inning unscathed to preserve Hernández's moment.

“The best thing I could do was get out of the inning with a clean number,” he said. “That was his last piece, and I definitely didn’t need to go out there and have it go chaotic all the sudden. I wanted to keep the fans in it. I got out there and we got two quick outs, and that was that. It was an awesome experience.”

Brennan said that things didn’t fully soak in until he reached the dugout and could relax.

“After the game, I bought myself a Félix jersey and he’s going to sign it for me,” Brennan said. “Moments like that, you have to take advantage of. I definitely embraced it, especially after I watched all the video of it and it gives you little goosebumps and chills. It was definitely a cool thing and I’m glad I got to be a part of it.

“It was definitely a moment I’ll never forget.”