More than Baseball: The Mariners’ Emotional Playoff Journey

Photo courtesy of Getty Images. Photo found on CBS Sports.

The 2025 Major League Baseball Playoff season has been a whirlwind, particularly for the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners have had amazing players who have made the team fun to watch, including Julio Rodríguez, Ichiro Suzuki, and Ken Griffey Jr. With the Mariners set to face the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series, it’s important to note that Mariners fans are grateful for every playoff game they get to experience. Let’s take a look at why the Mariners' postseason appearance is such an emotional experience for fans and what it means to the city of Seattle. 

Before the 21-year drought, the Mariners had made it to the postseason in 1995, 2000, and 2001 since they joined the MLB in 1977. In 1995, the Mariners were down 2-0 in the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees, but they came back and won three games straight. After they advanced to the American League Championship Series, they lost to the Cleveland Guardians 4-2. 

Photo courtesy of AP/Elaine Thompson. Photo obtained from Seattle Met.

It took them five years before they made another postseason appearance, where the Mariners swept the Chicago White Sox, but were eliminated by the New York Yankees 4-2. The following year, they made another postseason appearance when they defeated the Cleveland Guardians in five games in the American League Division Series. However, when they reached the American League Championship Series, the Mariners were eliminated once again by the New York Yankees in five games. Although they have made postseason appearances, the Mariners have yet to reach the World Series. 

More recently, the last time the Mariners were in the postseason was in 2022, when they defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Wild Card Series; however, they were eliminated by the Houston Astros in the American League Division Series in Game Three. Mariners fans were ecstatic that their team was able to clinch a playoff spot following their 21-year drought, and it was all thanks to their catcher, Cal Raleigh, when he hit a walk-off home run, beating the then Oakland Athletics (now known as the Athletics). Once they got to the American League Division Series, the Mariners were swept in three games by the Houston Astros, where the Astros went on to win the World Series. 

Photo credits to Steph Chambers/Getty Images. Photo found on Seattle Sports.

Since then, the Mariners haven’t made the postseason; however, 2025 has been a special year for them. The Mariners finished No. 1 in the American League West with a regular-season record of 90 games won and 72 games lost. Mariners fans were just happy that Seattle was going to make a postseason appearance. 

On October 4, the Mariners started their American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers, where they took the series to five games. In Game One, the Mariners and the Tigers went into extra innings, where Zack McKinstry singled, and in the 11th inning, which ultimately got the Tigers their first win. In Game Two, the Mariners tied the series when Julio Rodríguez hit a double in the eighth inning that allowed Cal Raleigh to score and take a 3-2 lead. The Mariners got a back-to-back win when they won Game Three 8-4. In Game Three, the Mariners' offense exploded when they got home runs from Raleigh, Eugenio Suárez, and J.P. Crawford. 

Courtesy of John Froschauer/Associated Press. Photo obtained from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

With only one win left for the Mariners to advance to the American League Championship Series, the Tigers snagged a win, tying the series 2-2. In Game Four, the Tigers defeated the Mariners 9-3 with homers from Javier Báez, Riley Greene, and Gleyber Torres. 

Game Five was an exhilarating game that brought many nerves to Mariners fans. Mitch Garver hit a sacrifice fly that allowed Josh Naylor to score, allowing the Mariners to lead 1-0. Kerry Carpenter then hit a homer, and Báez, which allowed the Tigers to take the lead 2-1. In the seventh inning, Leo Rivas singled and Jorge Polanco scored, tying the game 2-2. The game later went on to extra innings as both the Mariners and Tigers used a lot of different pitchers, including some of their starters. For the Mariners, they used George Kirby, Luis Castillo, and Logan Gilbert. For the Tigers, they used Tarik Skubal and Jack Flaherty.

Courtesy of Robin Buckson / The Detroit News / Tribune News Services. Photo found on the Herald Net.

After 15 innings, Polanco singled, which allowed Crawford to score, ultimately advancing the Mariners to the American League Championship Series. A huge worry going into their series against the Toronto Blue Jays is how their pitching will stack up against the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays pitchers had four days to rest, while the Mariners only had one day to rest. 

American League Championship Series

Game One

On Sunday, October 12, the Mariners faced the Blue Jays in their first game of the American League Championship Series. While the first game was a low-scoring game, the tournament started with a bang. Toronto Blue Jays' George Springer hit a home run on the first pitch. 

The Mariners remained scoreless until the sixth inning, where Raleigh hit a home run following a go-ahead run from Jorge Polanco, which led them to win Game One. 

Photo credits to Cole Burston/Getty Images. Photo found on Sport Relay.

Game Two

The second game was the complete opposite of Game One as the Mariners took Game Two with 10 runs. Polanco, who has scored in the big moments, hit a three-run home run. Rodríguez also got in on the action, as he hit a three-run home run. Rivas then scored from a single to the left from Crawford. Naylor then hit a two-run homer, and to seal it off, Crawford hit a sacrifice fly for Suárez to score. 

This would be the first time the Mariners went 2-0 in the American League Championship Series.

Game Three

With the Mariners heading to T-Mobile Park, Mariner fans were ecstatic to experience a playoff atmosphere. In Game Three, the Mariners dropped their first game of the American League Championship Series, making it 2-1. 

Rodríguez started the first inning with a home run, allowing Randy Arozarena to score. From there, that was the only run the Mariners got until the eighth inning. Meanwhile, Andrés Giménez, Springer, and Alejandro Kirk scored home runs. The Blue Jays ended up taking Game Three against the Mariners, but the Mariners were still in the lead.

Game Four 

In Game Four, the Blue Jays quickly tied the series up 2-2, with a win on Thursday evening, 8-2. The Mariners originally got the lead with a home run from Naylor. But the Blue Jays took the lead with a two-run home run by Giménez. 

The Blue Jays' offense exploded when Springer scored and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a home run. Ultimately, the Mariners couldn’t get many runs on the board following Naylor’s home run until Suárez singled and Polanco scored in the sixth inning. With the series tied, emotions were running high heading into Game Five.

Game Five

Game Five was a match full of high emotions as either team could take the lead. In the second inning, Suárez hit a home run, giving the Mariners a 1-0 lead. It wasn't until the fifth inning that Springer hit a double, and Addison Barger tied the game. In the sixth, Ernie Clement hit a single and Kirk scored, giving the Blue Jays the lead.

The eighth inning was a whole different ball game as Raleigh hit his 64th home run and tied the game once again. In that same inning, the bases were loaded and Suárez hit a grand slam, which gave them a 6-2 lead, and they ultimately won the game. The Mariners were just one game away from going to the World Series for the first time.

Photo credits to Nick Wagner / The Seattle Times. Photo found on The Seattle Times.

Game Six

The Blue Jays managed to tie the series 3-3 when they took Game Six in a 6-2 win. The scoring started in the second inning when Addison Barger singled, allowing Daulton Varsho to score. In that same inning, Isiah Kiner-Falefa singled and Ernie Clement scored. Both Barger and Guerrero Jr. got a home run, which put the game at 5-0.

It wasn’t until the sixth inning that Naylor hit a home run to put the Mariners on the board. In that same inning, Suárez singled, and Arozarena put the game at 5-2. The Mariners weren’t able to score another run for the remainder of the game. In the seventh inning, Guerrero Jr. scored the last run due to a throwing error. With the game ending 6-2, Mariner fans were hoping that they could get one more win to make their first appearance in the World Series.

Game Seven 

Game Seven was full of ups and downs, where no fan really knew what the outcome would be. In the first inning, Naylor hit a single, allowing Rodríguez to score, putting the Mariners first on the board. However, the Blue Jays quickly tied it up with a single from Varsho, which allowed Springer to score. The game remained tied until the third inning when Rodríguez hit a home run, giving the Mariners a 2-1 lead. In the fifth, Raleigh gave them an insurance run by hitting a home run. 

While it was a close game, Mariner fans needed more runs to feel comfortable in getting the win. It all came crashing down in the seventh inning, where Springer hit a three-run homer, giving the Blue Jays a 4-3 lead. In the end, the Blue Jays won the American League Championship Series and are heading to face the Dodgers on Friday.

Mariners fans took every game in and went through an emotional rollercoaster. People must realize that a lot of fans don’t get the opportunity to see their teams appear in the postseason frequently, which is why people should savor every moment their team makes it in the postseason. What did you think of the Mariners' performance? Let me know what you think!