The Seattle Mariners are winning while their division rivals are losing, but supporters were expecting the team to make a big splash this season following a confusing offseason that left many angry at ownership’s lack of initiative.
After the team defeated the Chicago White Sox 8–4 last night, led by Cal Raleigh’s walk-off grand slam, an insider has presented a compelling argument. As Jon Morosi of MLB Network noted on Twitter today, the Mariners are the club that no one should want to play in October because they lead the American League in divisions and their starters have thrown the most innings of any rotation. These are just the facts, and considering how hot the Cleveland Guardians, New York Yankees, and Baltimore Orioles have been lately, it’s difficult to think this is the AL team with the largest advantage right now.
The Texas Rangers, the defending champions, and the Houston Astros, who will also be the 2022 champions, make up a formidable AL West, thus the Mariners weren’t expected to improve on their performance from the previous season. However, both teams have struggled to finish above.500 since their opening games. Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, and Bryce Miller are the Mariners’ top four pitchers, and starting pitching wins in October. who have all been in the rotation this season and have an ERA well below 4.00. Bryan Woo, who made his 2024 debut in mid-May and is 3-0 with a 1.07 ERA in six starts, has returned, and the rotation has been even better recently.
