Granted, I know the Mariners lost two of three against the A’s, but through Saturday they had won six in a row and 17 of their last 20 to improve to 20-12, the best record in the American League at the time.
That 20-game stretch might be the best 3 1/2 weeks in franchise history. Numbers-wise, I’m guessing the 2001 team that went 116-46 had a better 20-game stretch, but that team had some horses, and this one does too, but there aren’t nearly as many in the stable.
The 2025 Mariners have also experienced injuries galore, most notably to their best starting pitchers, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert. To varying degrees, they’ve also missed right fielder Victor Robles and second baseman Ryan Bliss. Utility man extraordinaire Dylan Moore returned Tuesday, but first baseman Luke Raley is expected to be out with an oblique strain for another five to six weeks.
You’d think a team that appears to lack depth to overcome these unhealthy developments would plummet to the bottom of the AL West. Instead, the Mariners have been remarkable, stringing one win after another, catching the attention of gambling sites such as Draft Kings, where Dan Wilson’s squad is listed at 15-1 to win the World Series.
Naturally, winning the whole thing is what they’re shooting for, but most Mariner fans would accept just making it to the World Series, even if they were to lose to the Dodgers or Padres or someone else, because they’re the only team to have never played in the Fall Classic. The Mariners are 6-1 to win the American League and end that 47-year drought.
None of what’s happening makes sense given their roster, and it prompted Stacy Rost, a sports talk show host at Seattle Sports, to ask her Twitter followers for the biggest reasons why the Mariners have been on absolute fire.
She heard from those who had tangible reasons — Cal Raleigh’s torpedo bat, closer Andres Munoz’ lockdown stuff and a shockingly rejuvenated Jorge Polanco.
Other followers credited Wilson and hitting coaches Edgar Martinez and Kevin Seitzer for a simplified approach at the plate that features more balls in play and walks. The last two seasons, the Mariners have broken franchise records for strikeouts, but in two games in Texas over the weekend, they struck out only three times on consecutive nights.
Everyone justifiably raved about how the Mariners manufactured their game-winning run in a 2-1 victory over the Rangers Saturday night. Polanco started the eighth-inning rally with a hustle double, an example of Wilson wanting his team to be more aggressive on the base paths. Newcomer Ben Williamson failed to move Polanco over to third with botched bunt attempts but came through anyway with a groundout to the right side. The way he was greeted when he returned to the dugout, you’d think that Williamson smacked a 500-foot home run.
Pinch-hitter Rowdy Tellez followed with an RBI single to break the 1-1 tie, enabling the Mariners to win their eighth straight series.
I liked the intangible reasons Rost received because this recent success borders on the unbelievable, suggesting that other stuff must be in play:
From Yoda Prom: “This looks like a team that is playing for each other instead of individual accolades.”
And from Dave Sae: “It’s the power of friendship.”
Maybe there’s something to that, a collective approach that compensates for a lack of overall talent, the kind of thing we can all appreciate.
But of course, Rost heard from non-believers too. They’ll point out that the Mariners had a 10-game lead in the AL West last year in June and still failed to win the division and make the playoffs.
James Gill thinks the Mariners are doing it with “smoke and mirrors,” an old term that basically says it won’t last for long.
I tend to agree with a Rost responder named Jesus, who said: “Nobody believes in them. Once the folks start believing, the pressure will be too much. If fans can ignore the success, they’ll keep winning.”
I’ll give the last word to Brandon Patching, who said: “I’m convinced that the baseball gods are finally showing this wholesome group of good guys the love they deserve.”
Some of the signs point to all of this being a short-term aberration, but what if it isn’t? What if they keep playing out-of-their-minds baseball into October?
With what they’ve been doing lately, the Mariners have proven they could be potential playoff party crashers who just might turn the 2025 season into the best one ever.
Jim Moore has covered Washington’s sports scene from every angle for multiple news outlets. He appears Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 10 a.m. on Jason Puckett’s podcast at PuckSports.com. He writes a Substack blog at jimmoorethego2guy.substack.com. You can find him on X.com, @cougsgo.
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