The Los Angeles Angels suffered a 3-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners in their home opener on Friday night, falling behind 3-0 in the 10th inning before scoring a single run in response. The defeat came after a botched national anthem performance, where the singer attempted to time the song's ending with a military flyover but failed, drawing criticism from fans on social media.
Game Recap
The Angels managed only one hit in the 10-inning game, with Zach Neto contributing two of the team's four hits. Seattle's Cole Young drove in the go-ahead run with a triple in the 10th inning, while Josh Naylor added two more runs with a single. The Angels' lone run came on a sacrifice fly by Jorge Soler in the bottom of the 10th.
Anthem Controversy
Prior to the game, the national anthem singer attempted to synchronize the song's ending with a military flyover, but the timing misalignment led to an awkward pause, prompting backlash from fans online. Critics argued the team should have prioritized either the anthem or the flyover separately rather than attempting to coordinate them.
Pitching Performance
Angels starter Yusei Kikuchi allowed five runs over 5⅔ innings, while Seattle's Bryan Woo held the Angels to one hit through the first five innings. The Angels will face the Mariners again on Saturday, with Jack Kochanowicz (0-0, 11.25 ERA) starting for Los Angeles and Emerson Hancock (1-0, 0.00 ERA) for Seattle.