It wasn’t the high-stakes Game 162 the Mariners expected to play just a few short weeks ago — but it certainly made Sunday’s 6-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers all the more easier to stomach.
Los Angeles legend Clayton Kershaw threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings in the final regular-season start of his career, superstar Shohei Ohtani blasted his 55th home run of the season, and the Dodgers bested the Mariners, 6-1, in their regular-season finale at T-Mobile Park.
And while the result wasn’t what a sellout crowd in Seattle wanted on a sunny Sunday afternoon, the playoff field is set: The Mariners enter the postseason as the American League’s No. 2 seed, securing a first-round bye for the first time since 2001.
“We want to win a World Series,” Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh said. “I think the attitude in the room is we’re very happy with where we’re at, and achieving something we’ve never done before. But at the same time, we’re hungry. We still want more. The job’s-not-finished kind of mentality. We’re not just happy to be here.
“We’re going to go out there and we want to take it, kind of like we’ve been doing the last couple of weeks.”
Dodgers infielder Hyeseong Kim delivered a no-doubt, two-run homer to right field in the second inning, Freddie Freeman added a two-run homer in the third, and Los Angeles cruised behind Kershaw’s 5 1/3-inning shutout that capped a Hall of Fame career in Seattle.
Ohtani launched his 55th homer of the season in the seventh before Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages tacked on an RBI single in the eighth for a 6-0 lead. The Mariners avoided a shutout when Eugenio Suarez scored Randy Arozarena on an RBI fielder’s choice in the home eighth.
Raleigh and the rest of the Mariners walked the warning track after Sunday’s finale, tossing hats and jerseys to an announced crowd of 45,658. It wasn’t a farewell, but a see-you-soon as Seattle hosts Game 1 of the American League Division Series (ALDS) on Oct. 4.
“Now, all of the regular season stuff’s behind us,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “It’s time now for playoff baseball.”
Seattle’s 6-1 loss and series sweep to the Dodgers had no bearing on their postseason standing, locked into the AL’s No. 2 seed since Thursday night. The Mariners finished 90-72 for the third time in five years and will face either the Cleveland Guardians or Detroit Tigers in their first playoff game since 2022.
“Just remembering from my playing days, (T-Mobile Park) is a pretty special environment during that time,” Wilson said. “Seattle fans have an awesome energy to them, and they appreciate it. We appreciate them as well.
“We’re looking forward to that first (game) and the excitement that will be in the ballpark, the buzz that will be in the ballpark, and the edge that that brings.”
Kershaw Shines in final regular season start
With T-Mobile Park’s sellout crowd on their feet and the Dodgers infield assembled on the mound, Clayton Kershaw relished the moment.
Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts never left the dugout. Freddie Freeman instead exited to relieve his friend one last time, offering the first of several hugs and saving the historic baseball from the 3,052nd strikeout of a storied baseball career.
Following his sixth-inning strikeout of Mariners third baseman Eugenio Suarez, a future first-ballot Hall of Famer bid farewell: Kershaw made his final regular-season start in Sunday’s finale in Seattle, a stellar conclusion for one of the greatest left-handers of his generation.
“It was a great day,” Kershaw said. “Obviously, the game didn’t matter for either team, so just to be able to go out there and try to enjoy it as best you can… and obviously, pitching well helps.”
With his family in attendance, Kershaw flashed his renowned 12-6 curveball and a nasty slider across 5 1/3 scoreless innings. The southpaw began Sunday’s start with a 1-2-3 first frame and retired 16 of his 21 batters faced, surrendering four hits and no runs with one walk and seven strikeouts.
“What do you say about the career that guy has had? He’s quite a pitcher,” Wilson said. “I think now our focus really begins to sharpen.”
Kershaw notched career win No. 223, tied for 71st on MLB’s all-time leaderboard. The 37-year-old is a two-time World Series champion (2020, 2024), three-time NL Cy Young Award winner (2011, 2013, 2014), and won the National League’s Triple Crown in 2011.
He announced his decision to retire after the 2025 season on Sept. 18.
“I’m really not sad. I’m really not. I’m really at peace with this,” an emotional Kershaw told reporters at a press conference attended by his teammates that afternoon. “It’s just emotional, and I’ve tried to hold it together.
“I told our guys not to make it weird today,” he continued with a smile, “because I was going to get weird if you make it weird, and here I am making it weird.
“Thank you to everybody here that’s covered me over the years. I know I’m not the most fun at times. Just thank you for putting up with me.”
A model of consistency for nearly two decades, Kershaw allowed one or fewer runs in more than half of his 451 career starts (232). He led the National League in ERA five times, led the league in strikeouts three times, and was an 11-time All-Star.
Will we see Kershaw in the postseason? Locked into the National League’s No. 3 seed, the Dodgers announced Sunday morning that the 37-year-old will not be on Los Angeles’ NL Wild Card roster. A best-of-three series, it’s assumed the Dodgers will start a combination of Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell in their first pair of games with Tyler Glasnow slotted as the third starter, if necessary.
The Dodgers could reinstate Kershaw for the National League Division Series (NLDS) or Championship Series (NLCS) if they advance — but it’s possible Sunday marked the left-hander’s final major league appearance.
Kershaw’s career 2.53 ERA paces MLB pitchers with at least 1,500 innings pitched since 1962. His 1.02 career WHIP ranks third all-time among pitchers with at least 250 games pitched.
Raleigh makes history
Cal Raleigh authored a campaign for the ages — and a historic year never before seen by a catcher concluded Sunday with a major-league leading 60 home runs and 125 RBI.
Seattle’s backstop went 1-for-3 with a single and a walk in Sunday’s 6-1 loss to the Dodgers, the finishing touches of an MVP-caliber season. MLB’s Home Run Derby champion captured the sport’s home run title (60), tied with Babe Ruth for third-most in American League history, setting multiple records along the way: * Raleigh set the record for most home runs in a season by a primary catcher, passing Kansas City’s Salvador Perez (48 HR in 2021). * With his 55th blast, Raleigh passed the great Mickey Mantle for most home runs in a single season by a switch-hitter. * And Raleigh shattered Ken Griffey Jr.’s franchise record of 56 home runs in a season — Griffey reached that number in consecutive seasons from 1997-98.
American League MVP odds have shifted dramatically in September — Raleigh and Yankees star Aaron Judge shared identical odds as recently as last week — but Judge concludes the regular season as the frontrunner (-360) followed by ‘Big Dumper’ (+260).
In 159 games for the Mariners, Raleigh hit .247 (147-for-596) with 60 home runs, 110 runs, 125 RBI, and 96 walks. He ranked third among major league hitters in RBI, third in extra-base hits (84), and second in FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement (9.0)
In 152 games for New York, Judge hit .331 with 53 home runs, 114 RBI, and a major league-leading 1.145 OPS.
Mariners playoff schedule
The Mariners are locked into the American League’s No. 2 seed, earning a first-round bye and hosting the American League Division Series (ALDS) that begins Oct. 4.
Detroit’s win over Cleveland in Thursday night’s battle for the AL Central dropped both teams three games below the Mariners with three games to play, and Seattle’s tiebreakers guaranteed the club’s two-top standing for the first time since 2001.
“It’s a mark that we’ve done something, and that we’ve accomplished something,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said nonchalantly Thursday night, a demeanor that suggested he knew there’s more work to do.
“Obviously, we haven’t been in this position before, so understanding how to progress through the bye. … It does feel good. We were hoping to get that, and now we’re in a position to get some guys some rest that we think need some rest, and get back physically where we need to be.”
The Mariners meet the winner of the American League Wild Card Series between the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers in Game 1 of the ALDS on Saturday.
Seattle was the American League’s only playoff team without seeding at stake in Game 162:
• The New York Yankees (93-68) and Toronto Blue Jays (93-68) entered Sunday morning tied for first place in the AL East, with Toronto holding the tiebreaker. The Blue Jays won Sunday, clinching the division and league’s No. 1 seed.
• The Cleveland Guardians (87-74) and Detroit Tigers (87-74) entered Sunday morning tied for first place in the AL Central, with Cleveland holding the tiebreaker. The Guardians won Sunday, clinching the division and league’s No. 3 seed.
• The Boston Red Sox (88-73) needed a win or Cleveland loss to claim the league’s fifth seed. Boston won Sunday and will face the New York Yankees in the Wild Card round.
With a five-day break before Game 1 of the ALDS, the Mariners announced a pair of six-inning postseason scrimmages at T-Mobile Park on Oct. 1-2, open to fans with the intent to replicate a live game atmosphere. Tickets are $10 for main-level general admission seating, and all proceeds benefit the Mariners Care Foundation.
Here’s the American League playoff schedule for the opening rounds:
Wild Card round
Best-of-three
No. 6 Detroit vs. No. 3 Cleveland
No. 5 Boston vs. No. 4 New York
Division series
Best-of-five
Detroit/Cleveland vs. No. 2 Seattle
Boston/New York vs. No. 1 Toronto
“Everything changes after tomorrow,” Wilson said. “Everybody goes to 0-0, and we start from there. Looking forward to starting the preparation for what lies ahead for us. It’s exciting.”
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