Patrick Corbin: King for a Day

The ushers set up a throne, and fans wore yellow shirts and crowns praising their King.

A grounds crew member cleaned up the pitching mound, white spray paint lingering in the Puget Sound breeze.

This was the Diamondbacks bullpen.

Catchers warmed up their hands by catching golf balls from a coach.

This guy, Patrick Corbin, gave up a run on three hits over six innings.

I watched him warm up. I’d never seen him before: maybe because he’s returning from a doctor replacing a ligament in his elbow with a tendon.

Yes. The Good Doctor. James Andrews; pioneer of Tommy John surgery.

When I saw Corbin throw, I knew. It’s not a science.

But I still thought Felix Hernandez might just toss a perfect game.

Instead, he was down 4-0 in the first.

Arizona’s Welington Castillo hit a home run that landed 30 feet from me.

His home run in the fourth landed near the Mariners’ bullpen.

That one was 30 feet from me, too.

The M’s struggled for two runs. Hernandez gave up 7.

The Diamondbacks breezed to a sweep.

And Oliver Perez still pitches.

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