A Playoff Run We Won't Forget

The Mariners have had a record-breaking run this year, regardless of the fact that we were knocked out of the playoffs by the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of the ALCS. Even with the setbacks, the Mariners' journey this year has been full of records and upsets.

Let’s start at the beginning of the MLB 2025 season. As of before the first Mariners game, they had a 49.1 percent chance of making the playoffs, and a 2.1 percent chance of winning the World Series (a title that has eluded the Mariners thus far). That’s some pretty bad numbers, but fast-forward to a little past halfway through the season, and due to some good trades and signings, the Mariners’ chances of making the postseason have risen to 87.2 percent.

This sudden jump in chances was mostly due to the Mariners signing some stars just before the trade deadline last July. The Mariners kicked off the trade deadline rush with a huge trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks for first baseman Josh Naylor. The Mariners traded LHP Brandyn Garcia and RHP Ashton Izzi to Arizona for Naylor. Another huge trade that the Mariners made right before the trade deadline was for Eugenio Suarez, the 3rd baseman and slugger who hit a grand slam in game 5 of the ALCS, securing the win for the Mariners. The Mariners traded first baseman Tyler Locklear and right-handed pitchers Hunter Cranton and Juan Burgos in another trade with the Diamondbacks for Suarez.

After the Mariners beat out the Astros to secure the AL West and made it to the playoffs, they had a bye in the first round due to being the number 2 seed in the AL. In the second round, they faced the 6th-seeded Detroit, where they won in an intense game 5 off a single in the 15th inning. Then they were faced with a challenging opponent: the Toronto Blue Jays, who had beaten out the Yankees in the ALDS. After a tricky first 6 games, in which Eugenio Suárez hit a grand slam in game 5, the final matchup loomed: game 7: win or go home. The game started right off with both the Mariners and the Blue Jays scoring 1 in the first inning, both off singles with a runner on second. The Mariners then proceeded to hit two solo home runs by Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh in the third and fifth innings, giving the Mariners a 3 to 1 lead. However, the Blue Jays hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning, giving them a 4 - 2 lead. The Mariners could not score a run in the last three innings, so the Blue Jays went to the World Series, and the Mariners were eliminated.

Still, Mariners fans have high hopes for the next season and, maybe, just maybe, the next season will be the season for the Mariners, and we will win the World Series. Either way, I'm willing to bet that next year, we’ll see a lot more going to spring training in Arizona.