Leadoff hitter Brendan Donovan began his Seattle Mariners career in style.
And he made some history in the process.
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In the bottom of the first inning of Seattle’s 2026 season opener on Thursday night, Donovan turned on a 3-1 fastball from Guardians Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee and pulled it into the right-field seats at T-Mobile Park for a 353-foot leadoff home run.
It was the first opening-day leadoff homer in Mariners history.
The Mariners acquired the 25-year-old Donovan from the St. Louis Cardinals in a three-team trade in February.
Donovan was a first-time All-Star with St. Louis last season, slashing .287/.353/.422 with 10 home runs, 32 doubles and a .775 OPS in 118 games. Among qualified National League hitters, he ranked ninth in batting average and 17th in on-base percentage. He also won a Gold Glove Award as utility player in 2022.
Donovan had a strong spring, batting .413 with one homer, three doubles and a 1.034 OPS in 46 Cactus League at-bats.
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