Seattle Mariners: Last week of 2020 brings hope of bright future
There was nothing to play for the last week of the season. Nobody would have blamed the youngest team in MLB if they packed it in. But the Seattle Mariners didn’t.
The 2020 Seattle Mariners season is officially in the books. They finished third in the American League West Division with a 27-33 record, two games out of the expanded playoffs. While there are more losses than wins, the team has instilled hope for a better 2021, especially with their play over the final week.
Just when things were looking up, the Mariners dropped four of five to San Francisco and San Diego between September 16-20. For all intents and purposes, they were out of playoff contention for the final week. Of course, no one expected them to be as close to the postseason as they were at that point.
They could have folded
With nothing to play for, the young Seattle Mariners could have packed it in for their final seven games. Not this team, They won the first one Monday night against Houston. The defending A.L. Champs were still fighting for a playoff spot, but Seattle kept them down.
During that game, Dylan Moore, the M’s second-best hitter this year, was beaned in the eighth inning. That was the second time Moore took an over 90 miles-per-hour fastball to the head. He went on the injured list before Tuesday’s game as part of MLB’s concussion protocol. Houston won later that evening, 6-1.
The Mariners could have patted themselves on the back for an unexpectedly good finish and mailed it in the rest of the way. But they didn’t. Wednesday, Seattle beat Houston 3-2. It was on to Oakland for four games with the Athletics, who were fighting for the best record in the league.
They could have folded again
Friday night, the M’s battled Oakland for nine scoreless innings. They broke through with a run in the top of the 10th. Unfortunately, Mark Canha took Mariners reliever Joey Gerber yard in the bottom half of the frame to give the home team a 3-1 victory.
Once again, the Seattle Mariners had every opportunity to hit cruise control for the final three games. But they didn’t. Instead, behind a pair of rookie starters, Justus Sheffield and Justin Dunn, the M’s swept Saturday’s doubleheader. Sunday, Seattle ace Marco Gonzales battled the Athletics to a 2-2 tie through six innings before the roof caved in on relief pitcher Yoshi Hirano in the seventh.
A 6-2 defeat was how Seattle ended the season. It wasn’t the way they wanted to go out. Oakland is the number two seed in the American League for a reason.
With nothing to play for and every reason to give up over the last week, the Seattle Mariners won four-of-seven against the top two teams in their division. Their fans should be proud. They did so with two things that don’t show up in any box score, heart, and determination.
Most importantly, the young upstarts showed professionalism well beyond their years. When the talent level catches up, and it should be within a season or two, the Seattle Mariners will be the lead dog other A.L. West teams chase for a playoff spot.