Welcome to Seattle, Richie Sexson

Richie Sexson accounted for all five Mariners runs Monday, hitting a pair of line drive home runs, and Jamie Moyer was in top form as Seattle cruised to a 5-1 Opening Day win over Minnesota at Safeco Field.

Sexson, signed over the offseason to a four-year, $50 million contract, put the Mariners on the board in the first inning by sending the first pitch he saw from Minnesota starter Brad Radke over the wall in left field.

A good debut for the towering Vancouver, Wash. native. A 3-0 Mariners lead. And maybe most importantly, a bit of assurance that the nightmare season of 2004 has been left in the past.

In Sexson's next at bat in the third inning, he did it again despite Radke's best effort to entirely avoid the strike zone. The 6-foot-7 slugger worked the count in his favor with Adrian Beltre at first base, and blasted the Radke offering deep over the wall in dead center field to make it a 5-0 game.

Meanwhile, Moyer matched Sexson's big day with pure mastery on the mound. The 42-year-old left-hander allowed one run in 5.2 innings before giving way to the bullpen. He struck out four along the way.

Ron Villone, Julio Mateo and Eddie Guardado kept the Twins off the board the final 3.1 innings.

Ichiro Suzuki started the season right where he left off in 2004, going 2-4 with a pair of singles. Beltre had the M's only other hit of the day for Seattle, which finished with five.

A new season, a new start, a new era in Mariners baseball.