By Scott Hanson

The Seattle Times

Rooting as hard as anyone for Mariners starter Mike Leake to finish off his bid for a perfect game was the last player in the big leagues to throw one.

Leake was perfect through eight innings, but allowed a single by Luis Rengifo to open the ninth inning in Friday’ night’s 10-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels.

“It was exciting and I was rooting for him to do it,” said Felix Hernandez, who threw a perfect game for the Mariners in a 1-0 win over Tampa Bay on Aug. 15, 2012, at T-Mobile Park (known then as Safeco Field). “He was pitching great, and I thought he had it.”

Hernandez is one of a select group who has gone out for the ninth inning with a perfect game on the line.

“It’s not easy, man,” said Hernandez, who is on the injured list with a shoulder strain and has not pitched since May 11. “It’s not easy.”

Mariners manager Scott Servais said a win like Friday’s can carry over into the next day, but only to a limited extent.

“Not only did Mike pitch really well, but we also scored some runs, and we swung the bats, which is something we were struggling to do,” he said. “You’d like to see us get on a streak and win five or six in a row, but ultimately it comes down to the guy on the mound, and does he give you a chance to win tonight. But I think some of that can roll forward.

Notes

Mariners center fielder Mallex Smith, who left Friday night’s game after the fifth inning with a jammed thumb, was penciled into the starting lineup. “He’s a little sore, but we expect him to be good to go,” Servais said.

The main videoboard was back on after being black Friday because of a power outage.