Like his friends from Boston, Mariners’ Rob Refsnyder hopes his sour season turns soon
SEATTLE — At the plate and in the clubhouse, the Red Sox have missed Rob Refsnyder this season.
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Turns out, Refsnyder has missed them, too.
Amid a poor first season with the Mariners, Refsnyder received Friday afternoon a steady stream of old friends who wanted to catch up before the Red Sox’ series opener against his new team.
Surprised and bummed about how poorly the Sox’ season has gone, Refsnyder can relate, at least on a personal level.
“The fans,” he said, “don’t like me here.”
He sort of laughed when he said it, but it was a self-aware assessment more than it was a joke. Occupying his familiar role of outfielder/designated hitter against lefthanders, Refsnyder has ugly numbers on the year: a .143 average, .214 on-base percentage, and .242 slugging rate, plus 30 strikeouts to just seven walks.
He seems to have fallen victim at least partially to playing his home games at T-Mobile Park, which unlike Fenway Park is a reputed pitchers park (and particularly tough for righthanded hitters who like to pull the ball). There is no Green Monster, just a monstrous outfield.
In Seattle, Refsnyder owns a .063 and .203 OPS — not OBP, but OPS.
Everywhere else, he has a more respectable .233 and .718.
It’s not quite what the Mariners expected when they signed Refsnyder for one year and $6.25 million (and gave him prime clubhouse real estate next to Cal Raleigh and J.P. Crawford).
“Hopefully we can correct that a little bit,” he said.
With the Sox tossing a series of southpaw starters this series — Ranger Suarez in the opener, followed by Connelly Early and Payton Tolle — Refsnyder figures to see plenty of action against his former club.
“Grinding at first, a little bit of bad luck,” he said. “Starting to feel a little bit better as of late, so hoping to keep it going. Helps that we’re in first place.”
He believed they would win
Red Sox reliever Tommy Kahnle beamed on his way into work Friday.
Wearing a Folarin Balogun jersey (with a spare Christian Pulisic jersey in his hand) and USMNT scarf, Kahnle made the short walk to T-Mobile Park from Lumen Field across the street. He had just watched in person as the Americans shut out Australia, 2-0, to clinch a spot in the knockout stage of the World Cup.
Kahnle said it was one of the best sports environments he had ever seen, right up there with the 2024 World Series (in which he played for the Yankees against the Dodgers).
“This experience has been incredible,” said Kahnle, who used his connections to get a free ticket from FIFA. “That pop that went off when they scored that first goal was incredible. It was deafening in the stadium.”
Why rep Balogun?
“This is my guy,” Kahnle said, still wearing the jersey during batting practice.
They met several years ago when Balogun visited Yankees spring training. At the time, Balogun was deciding whether to play for the United States or England. Kahnle was on his hip the whole visit, “fully decked out in USA gear,” he said.
Already, Kahnle said, he and some of his teammates are eyeing the July 3 World Cup game in Los Angeles. The Sox are off that day before a series against the Angels in Anaheim.
The Mariners got in on the neighborhood fun by blasting patriotic songs during batting practice. Some wore red, white, and blue paraphernalia.
Outside the ballpark, meanwhile, someone put a USMNT jersey on the statue of Mariners legend Edgar Martinez.
Minding Mayer
The Red Sox scratched Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the lineup shortly before first pitch because of left forearm inflammation. Playing shortstop instead was Marcelo Mayer, who originally was on the bench because he had been under the weather, interim manager Chad Tracy said. He had stayed in Boston Thursday night and felt well enough Friday morning to fly to Washington to join the Sox, then took batting practice with everybody else . . . In anticipation of facing three Red Sox lefthanded starters, the Mariners called up utility man Weston Wilson, a righthanded hitter. They designated for assignment Miles Mastrobuoni, a lefthanded hitter . . . Brayan Bello’s second start since being demoted to Triple-A Worcester: three runs, seven hits, two walks in 4⅔ innings . . . Friday marked the start of a stretch in which the Sox will play 15 of 22 games on the road heading into the All-Star break. And 12 of those will be outside the Eastern time zone.
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