Wednesday, September 30

SEATTLE -- If she wasn’t already the Momma Bear of T-Mobile Park, the 2026 season has brought out the best of that persona for longtime Mariners broadcaster Angie Mentink. 

New dads on the team, like J.P. Crawford, Emerson Hancock and Luke Raley, have sought her out for guidance on early-age tips for things like tummy time and nap routines. Others attempting to become first-time parents consult her on the stresses of the waiting game. 

There’s a humorous bluntness to her perspective on motherhood that’s so endearing, and the relationships with her two boys -- Jaxen, 20, and Chase, 18 -- say it all. 

“The most valuable lessons she's taught me and my brother is be who you are,” Chase said. “And just go through life fearless, in a sense, you know? Don't be afraid to put yourself out there or take a chance at something that you enjoy or might be interesting, even if you might fail. She's just taught us to be fearless in life.”

This Mother's Day carries even more significance for the Mentink family, because that fearlessness was tested in the scariest way in February. 

Mentink suffered a stroke one afternoon at her home that briefly paralyzed her left side and limited her cognitive function for simple tasks. She was in the hospital for an extended period, but remarkably rebounded to return to the booth by Opening Day.

And to the naked ear and eye, she hasn’t missed a beat. Even more thankfully, doctors have rooted the likeliest cause of the issue and are now addressing it -- hopefully once and for all -- with a non-invasive, outpatient surgery next week.

“It was really comforting, because this whole thing has been so scary,” Mentink said. “Just the why. Why did this happen? So now I have the clarity.”

The unknown for the past few months has been the worst part. Yes, for concern of her own well-being, but more so, how it’s impacted Chase, Jaxen and her husband, Jarrett. 

“More than anything, it's making me realize how much I've worried them,” Mentink said. “They're just so concerned. And I'm like, 'No, no, dude, that's my job. I'm concerned about you. You don't be concerned about me.' So that's been the only really frustrating part.”

When the stroke surfaced, Chase was the only other family member at home, asleep on the couch for a midafternoon nap. Mentink had pause about waking him up, and instead attempted a telehealth consultation. But she then realized that this was more serious and nudged him, saying, “Hey dude, I think I’m going to need your help.”

Once awake, Chase intervened and insisted on seeking immediate medical attention. He preferred calling 911 but they settled on him driving her to the ER.

Again, in a potentially very scary situation, those motherly instincts were to downplay fear.

“The whole car ride down to the emergency room, we're cracking jokes,” Chase said. “I was messing with her a little bit and she's laughing and whatever. I guarantee you that most times people have strokes, the person that's having the stroke isn't making jokes or trying to make light of a situation. But I think it was to keep me from being scared.”

More broadly, and stroke aside, the tropes of fearlessness and overcoming failure have been at the forefront of how Angie and Jarrett have raised Chase and Jaxen. And it’s translated to their love for baseball, a game where failure is inherent.

Jaxen is a sophomore catcher at Sacramento City College, and Chase is going to join him there next month, to play basketball. 

“In the end,” Chase said, “she's like, 'I'm going to love you if you strike out 10 times, or if you hit 10 [home runs]. I'll love you the exact same.' So it's the confidence to try your best and failure is OK.”

Mentink is extremely grateful for the medical care and that her situation was not more dire, and does not want to downplay the severity of other stroke victims going through their own challenges. But as expected, it’s given her a new outlook on life -- and motherhood. 

“In this day and age, I think we so often want to take so much away from our kids' plates that we forget to let them cope” Mentink said. "I'm guilty of that at times as well, but I'm hoping they see that life is going to have periods of struggle, and that's OK. It's something you get through, something you grind through.”

Bryce Miller was dialed in over five scoreless innings in what could be his final rehab start on Wednesday night at High-A Everett. 

Which now sparks the long-awaited conversation of how the Mariners handle their rotation logjam.

A source told MLB.com on Thursday that Miller will join the Mariners this weekend in Chicago to debrief with Seattle’s coaching and athletic training staff to discuss his readiness to be activated from the 15-day injured list, or if he needs another outing.

“I want to be a workhorse.” -- George Kirby

This isn’t a novel concept for a starting pitcher at any level. But to hear Kirby say it out loud -- with conviction -- stood out, after he cleared seven strong innings in an eventual 3-2 loss to the Braves on Tuesday night. 

Entering Thursday’s off-day, Kirby ranked second in MLB in innings (52) and behind only the Yankees’ Max Fried (52 2/3). That would put him on pace to clear the coveted 200-inning threshold this season, but he’s not getting that far ahead. And that makes sense. It’s only May. 

“That's the long-term goal,” Kirby said. “For me, I just want to be out there as long as I can. So I'm going to keep just executing and do my job. And then you look up in September, then you might have 200 innings, but that’s not the focus.”

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