The grin still hadn’t left Adam Moore’s face. And the mere mention of his first big-league home run brought a wide smile.

One day after hitting a solo homer to right off of Oakland reliever Jeff Gray, Moore still couldn’t hide his exuberance for the accomplishment.

“It was unreal,” he said.

Moore said he’d received probably 15 to 20 text messages and voice mails, offering congratulations.

He was certain that the news had gotten to almost all of the 4,321 residents of his hometown of Mineola, Texas, where people follow his accomplishments avidly. If anybody didn’t know, Moore figured his mom, Laura, would inform them.

“My mom has Facebook so everybody around town – the 4,000 people that live there – I’m sure already knows,” he said.

Moore also got a call from former teammate Jamie Burke, who’s now with the Nationals. Catchers Burke and Moore spent most of the season together in Tacoma.

“Burkey called me last night and asked me what it felt like, I said I honestly don’t remember touching any of the bases,” Moore said shaking his head. “It’s a feeling I’ve never had before.”

He may never have that exact feeling for future home runs, but it seems likely he’ll hit more. Mariners fans can also expect see more of Moore’s homers going to right field.

“That’s where I’ve always had most of my power,” he said. “It probably didn’t show in Tacoma because I’d always pepper it off the wall. I’ve always been fortunate to have opposite-field power.”

There are guys who work their entire careers to be able to drive the ball to the opposite field. For Moore it comes naturally.

“One thing you look at with young hitters is the amount of tension in their swing, and the one thing that impresses you about him is for a big guy he has a loose swing,” Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said. “… I think that’s where you see the power the other way. As we go forward and he starts to develop more, I think he will be able to do both – turn on an inside pitch and go the other way.”

Moore wasn’t expected to see much playing time in this September call-up. He didn’t start Tuesday but came in for Kenji Johjima after the veteran catcher was hit on the elbow with a pitch. Because Johjima’s elbow remains stiff, Moore started Thursday and may get more starts.

“I keep talking about how impressed I have been with his catching ability,” Wakamatsu said. “He has done a great job. He has been exposed to a lot in a short period of time.”

Saunders after playing time

While Moore got the homer, Michael Saunders also got plenty of praise for ripping a ball that bounced off the wall in deep right against hard-throwing reliever Henry Rodriguez.

That Saunders was able to turn on a 99 mph fastball from Rodriguez and pull it with some pop pleased Wakamatsu and earned Saunders some more playing time.

“The way Saunders is swinging the bat we’d like to get him in the Texas series a little bit,” Wakamatsu said. “He has done a nice job. A 99 mph fastball, to be able to turn on that and drive the ball is a good thing.”

After being called up a month ago and playing early, Saunders has spent much of the past few weeks on the bench and working with hitting coach Alan Cockrell on making adjustments to his swing. Wakamatsu noted that the work seems to be paying off.

“To me it’s about his comfort level,” he said. “This is almost like his second call-up where he didn’t play for awhile but spent a lot of time in the cage with Alan (Cockrell). You see it in his body language. He looks a lot more confident.”

On tap

The Mariners open their final series of the season when the Texas Rangers visit Safeco Field. First up, at 7:10 tonight, is a duel between right-handers: Ian Snell (5-2, 4.17 ERA) for the Mariners against Brandon McCarthy (7-4, 4.47 ERA) for the Rangers. The game will be broadcast on FSN.

Ryan Divish: 253-597-8483

ryan.divish@thenewstribune.com