Seattle Mariners: 2 X-Factors for 2020
Dan Altavilla, Seattle Mariners.
Tomorrow, Friday, July 24, the Seattle Mariners open the 2020 season in Houston. PNWS is counting down with a different article each day. Today, we look at a pair of X-Factors for this year.
Opening Day is tomorrow. The Seattle Mariners head to Houston for the first pitch of the 2020 season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as Major League Baseball and it’s Players Association’s failure to agree on anything, it’s taken over four months to finally play games that count in the standings.
Seattle has been working out at T-Mobile park for the past few weeks to get ready for the 60-game slate. After some initial days get back into shape, the Mariners have been prepping with an endless stream of intrasquad contests. M’s Nation is looking forward to meaningful games as the summer winds down. Leading up to Opening Day, Pacific Northwest Sports will be running a series of countdown articles to get fans ready for action. Today is about a pair of X-Factors.
Sun 7/19 – 6 questions about the 2020 season
Mon 7/20 – 5 impact rookies to watch in 2020
Tue 7/21 – 4 reasons why the Mariners will have a hard time rising in the A.L. West
Wed 7/22 – 3 players who could be in their final Mariners season
Thu 7/23 – 2 X-Factors in 2020
Fri 7/24 – 1 big goal for 2020
So much goes into a winning season. No matter how hard a manager or team for that matter tries to prepare for all contingencies, something always happens to throw a wrench into the best-laid plans. Challenges arise from out of thin air, which lead to opportunities.
Then there are lynchpins that wind up determining a team’s fate during the season. The modern term is X-Factors.