By CIAN McKEOWN
Forty thousand fans packed T-Mobile Park in Seattle to witness the moment on the night of Sept. 24 against the Colorado Rockies. After a thrilling comeback win the previous night, anchored by a clutch bases-clearing double by First Baseman Josh Naylor, the Mariners had finally clinched a trip back to October baseball. With a win the next night, they would secure an AL West division title for the first time since 2001.
Mariners Catcher Cal Raleigh came into the game with 58 home runs, already surpassing the legendary Ken Griffey Jr. for the most in a single season by a Seattle Mariner.
Raleigh hit his 59th in just the first inning with an absolute nuke to the second deck, only the seventh player in the history of the ballpark to do so. The Mariners had a sizable 8-1 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning behind a terrific seven-inning performance by starting ace Luis Castillo and electric hitting by the rest of the Mariners’ bats.
Then, Cal Raleigh stepped into the batter’s box again with a chance to become the first catcher in Major League history to hit 60 home runs and solidify himself as the frontrunner for AL MVP. He did just that, smacking one from the bottom of the zone to the stands in right field. Pandemonium exploded as the moment sank in for the home crowd. The nightmare was over. The Seattle Mariners would be the AL West division champions.
While Raleigh was hitting bombs throughout the season, the Mariners plodded along around .500 until their season really began after the trade deadline at the end of July. Two huge acquisitions from the Arizona Diamondbacks in the aforementioned Josh Naylor and Third Baseman and former Mariner fan favorite Eugenio Suarez. All-Star Center Fielder Julio Rodriguez started to heat up in August as well, hitting adeptly and firing off like a bolt of lightning on the basepaths. Naylor left a Sept. 26 game versus the Dodgers with an injury, but Mariners fans are hopeful that he will return for some postseason action.
Seattle’s offensive power has turned out to be some of the best in baseball, leading the Majors in home runs and walks, as well as having the second-best team WRC+ at 124. This is not to mention their terrific starting pitching rotation featuring All-Star Brian Woo and aces such as George Kirby and Logan Gilbert. Another All-Star on the roster is lights-out closer Andres Munoz, who boasts a 1.47 ERA and 38 saves as of Sept. 27.
As the Mariners wrap up their regular season with a series against the Dodgers at home, Pacific Northwest fans hope the team maintains this exciting style of baseball in the playoffs. The roster is deep, with unlikely heroes always springing up like the young and hungry bats near the end of the order, like Dominic Canzone and Cole Young, as well as superstars who have put together impressive hitting streaks like dynamo Left Fielder Randy Arozarena and Short Stop J.P. Crawford.
The Mariners have secured the number two seed and home field advantage for the American League Divisional Series, which will begin on Oct.4 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
Featured image: The Oregonian
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