It’s been a bit of a struggle offensively for the Seattle Mariners early this season, but not for new third baseman Brendan Donovan.
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Donovan continued the strong start to his Mariners career on Tuesday against the Texas Rangers – and it took only one pitch.
Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi tried to get a fastball over for a strike on his first pitch of the game and Donovan turned on it for a solo blast into the seats in right field at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The homer traveled 350 feet and came off the bat at 94 mph.
It was already the second leadoff home run of Donovan’s brief M’s tenure. He also homered in his first at-bat on opening day, become the first player in team history to hit a leadoff homer in the season opener. Donovan has now hit five home runs to lead off a game during his five-year career.
After his homer Tuesday, Donovan raised his slash line to .344/.447/.688 with a 1.135 OPS, three homers, two doubles and five RBIs in 10 games with the Mariners. It’s the fastest he’s reached three home runs in a season during his career, besting his previous mark of three homers by game No. 20 in 2025.
The home run also added on to what’s been a rough start to the 2026 campaign for Eovaldi, a two-time All-Star who posted a 1.73 ERA over 130 innings last season. In his previous two starts this season, Eovaldi allowed 11 runs on 16 hits and three walks over 8 2/3 innings.
Radio coverage of Tuesday’s Mariners-Rangers game can be heard on Seattle Sports 710 AM and the Seattle Sports app.
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