Mariners' magic run falls short of World Series
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
It wasn't the ending we wanted, but it was still a great season. Photo: Mark Blinch/Getty Images
The Mariners' dream season ended one win short of the World Series.
Why it matters: Seattle's 4-3 loss to Toronto in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series ended the most thrilling Mariners season in a generation, one that carried the team closer to the pennant than ever before.
Driving the news: Just eight outs away from their first World Series appearance in franchise history, the Mariners watched a two-run lead vanish in the seventh inning of Game 7.
- George Springer crushed a three-run homer, flipping a 3–1 Seattle lead into a Toronto win and the Blue Jays' first American League title in 32 years.
Flashback: The Mariners' playoff run was built on a remarkable stretch of ball that began last month, fueled by hot bats, great catches, and maybe even an Etsy witch's spell.
- Seattle exploded offensively in an 18-2 rout of the Braves on Sept. 7, with five home runs and 20 hits.
- The M's won their final 16 of 17 games of the regular season and took the AL West crown, securing the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye, bypassing the Wild Card round.
- The Mariners went on to beat the Detroit Tigers in a 15-inning American League Division Series marathon on Oct. 10 to punch their ticket to the American League Championship Series.
Zoom in: Seattle won the first two games of the seven-game series against the Blue Jays in Toronto.
- They dropped two heartbreakers at home before storming back to win Game 5 in one of the most epic comebacks in franchise history — a night that turned T-Mobile Park into a thunderstorm of raucous cheer when Cal Raleigh hit a game-tying home run and Eugenio Suarez' grand slam brought the 6-2 win.
- But they lost Game 6 in Toronto, forcing Monday night's winner-take-all finale.
Stunning stat: Raleigh hit his 65th homer of the year on Monday, setting an American League record for home runs in combined regular season and postseason play.
- Raleigh edged out Aaron Judge's record from 2022, when Judge hit 64 homers throughout the regular season and the playoffs.
- Raleigh had already broken Mickey Mantle's single-season record for switch hitters in September.
What we're watching: How far the front office will go to keep some of this season's stars as they build for a run next year.