Emerson Hancock brilliant, but mistakes undo Mariners in extra-innings loss

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MAY 02: Emerson Hancock #26 of the Seattle Mariners reacts after getting a strike out against the Kansas City Royals at T-Mobile Park on May 02, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Olivia Vanni/Getty Images) | Getty Images Randy Johnson is the first Mariners pitcher I remember watching. Somewhere there is a picture of a mulleted Randy taken by me with a hot pink camera in the Kingdome at a Kid’s Day.

It’s blurry, and his head is partially cropped off, seven-year-old me tilting up the camera at the towering figure above me. That’s what it felt like watching him pitch: larger than life, scary, and a little bit thrilling. Emerson Hancock, while very tall in his own right, does not spark the same fear, with his kind smile and soft Georgia accent.

I have seen many versions of Emerson Hancock over the years: the college acee whose career and trip to Omaha was cut short; a young pitcher surrounded by other young pitching that leapfrogged him on his journey to the bigs; a beaten but not defeated Hancock searching for answers after a bad start, and another, and another; and tonight, what should have been a triumphant Hancock coming off a career-best start of 14 strikeouts against not walks, but was instead a chastened Hancock forced to explain away his teammates’ mistakes in a crushing 3-2 extra-innings loss. Randy Johnson was famous for telling his offensively anemic Mariners teammates “just get me one run tonight, boys, that’s all we need. ” Hancock would need just a little more than that.

He wouldn’t get it. The Mariners did oblige The RJ Doctrine in the first. Julio Rodríguez continued his torrid stretch with a one-out double that missed being a home run by about a foot, tagging a 90-mph fastball on the opposite corner of the plate.