Seattle Mariners' Canzone shows breakout can continue in '26

SEATTLE – A 324-homer season for Dominic Canzone? That’s the pace he’s on after opening day. Of course, he won’t reach that ridiculous number or come even close to it, but the Seattle Mariners outfielder/designated hitter showed a good sign that his breakout 2025 season was more than a one-off.

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The Mariners came up short in a 6-4 loss to the Cleveland Guardians in their season opener Thursday night at T-Mobile Park, but Canzone stood out as one of the bright spots with a two-homer game.

Canzone unloaded on a sinker near the bottom of the zone from Guardians starter Tanner Bibee in the bottom of the second inning, depositing a 418-foot solo shot to right-center field that came off his bat at 107.9 mph.

That turned out to be the least impressive of the lefty slugger’s blasts.

In the bottom of the seventh with the Mariners trailing 5-3, Canzone cut the deficit in half when he launched a Shawn Armstrong fastball 444 feet with a 109.3 mph exit velocity into the stands in right-center.

“They just kind of were in the honey hole, kind of down and in, so we were able to get to them,” Canzone said of his home runs.

The multi-homer game was the third of Canzone’s career as he kicks off his fourth season. The other two came last year when the 28-year-old showed major progress and became a key figure in helping the Mariners win their first division title in 24 years.

After a rough first full season in the organization in 2024 where he hit just .196 in 67 big league games, Canzone started last season in Triple-A. He spent a brief stint with the big league club in April, but was back in the minors after just six days and three at-bats.

But an opportunity arose for Canzone in early June. The Mariners called him when they were in Arizona for a series with the Diamondbacks. That night he hit a pinch-hit two-run homer to force extra innings, which was a sign of things to come.

Canzone kept hitting and when the season ended, he was sporting an impressive .300/.358/.481 slash line with career highs of an .839 OPS, 11 home runs, 32 RBIs, 117 hits and 82 games played.

“He was a guy last year that really took a huge step forward and really swung the bat well for us,” manager Dan Wilson said. “I thought the way he attacked left-handers was outstanding last year as well, and (he) went into the offseason feeling very confident about what he had done and should’ve.”

“Coming out tonight and doing what he did, outstanding work,” Wilson added. “When he’s able to square up the ball, it goes a long way, and we saw that tonight for sure.”

Canzone credited his improvements to the work he’s done developing a consistent approach with hitting coach Kevin Seitzer and assistant hitting coach Bobby Magallanes.

“They keep me through the middle of the field and just trying to hit line drives up the middle,” Canzone said. “If it goes, it goes, but just kind of staying with that approach and not coming off of it has helped me tremendously.”

Canzone’s ascension last year caught the attention of more than just the Mariners. It earned him a spot on Team Italy in this year’s World Baseball Classic, which allowed Canzone to be a part of one of the tournament’s best stories as the underdog Italians beat the United States in pool play and reached the WBC semifinals for the first time.

Canzone, who homered in pool play against Brazil, said his time in the tournament helped better prepare him for this season.

“I think all the WBC guys (were) helped a lot (by) just kind of getting ready for opening day and the environment of it, because WBC really is kind of like playoff baseball,” he said. “Spring training is almost, kind of for the lack of a better word, like scrimmages.

“So (the WBC) definitely helped me a lot just kind of getting in that atmosphere again and some games that really mean something.”

This year Canzone is adjusting to a somewhat new role as he’s expected to spent much of his time splitting DH duties in a platoon with veteran Rob Refsnyder.

“I think with anything in this game, the more you do it, the more you get comfortable with it,” he said. “So just trying to develop a routine and stick to it is, I think, a big part of it.”

He looked pretty comfortable on opening day.

Seattle Mariners’ Canzone shows breakout can continue in ’26

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