One would not expect to see tears of sorrow from the Cougar fans in Pullman right after a huge Pac-12 win. However, the Mariner’s 9-8 loss to the Athletics made the exciting occasion turn bittersweet.
On Saturday, October 1st, the Seattle Mariners officially were knocked out of the playoff chase only minutes after the Cougars clinched a 51-33 win over the Oregon Ducks.
I only bring up the Cougar win because the two events finished within minutes of each other.
Back to the main topic of the Seattle Mariners, this has been one of the most exciting seasons that Mariner fans have seen in a long time. The most recent season even close to this kind of record was the 2014 run which they were eliminated on the final day of the season. Ironically, it was the Athletics who eliminated them from playoff contention in 2014 too.
While we are comparing the two seasons, it is important to note that in 2014, they only won one more game than they did in 2016. So the question is, which season was better overall?
There are ways to answer this question subjectively. However, from a pure fan and analyst point of view, the 2016 season was easily the better season.
Back in 2014, the team didn’t have exciting ball players and did not entice fan to want to watch the team. Looking at the attendance ratings, 2016 had over 200 thousand more people attend games than in 2014. In fact, 2014 had a lower attendance rating than 2015 even though their record dropped by 11 games.
Looking back on the year, this was not a team that was expected to win it all, but it was built to make a run for the ‘ship and that is exactly what they did.
They were built to always be in ballgames even when things looked at their bleakest. Go back to previous years, when the team was down by three or more runs in the 6th inning, people just expected them to be done and chalk it up as another Mariner loss. This year, the Mariners made people pay for counting them out before the final out.
One of the most memorable, and record setting, was the June 3rd game against the Padres when the Mariners were down by a score of 12-2. Instead of giving up, the Mariners fought back and had one of the most miraculous comebacks in MLB history by winning a final score of 16-13.
Baseball people know that having a good middle of the lineup can be the difference between a great offense and a petty bat. They didn’t just have a middle of the lineup threat, they had a core.
Cano, Cruz and Seager, three, four and five. These three men in the lineup every day didn’t just bring power, they brought hope. Hope to the team for runs, hope to the fans for excitement and hope to the MLB that the Mariners were not to be taken lightly.
While one of every Mariner fan’s favorite things to do is reminisce about the past successes, it is time to look to the future.
This team is poised for an interesting offseason. With a ton of needs including starting pitching, first base and outfield, Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto is likely to have a busy offseason like his first one almost a year ago. With how his first year turned out, I think Mariners fans should by hyped for a run in 2017.
The exciting 2016 season has come to an anti-climactic close and every fan near and far feels like they have lost a part of their heart as it was given to the team that had more heart than anything Seattle has seen in years. All I can say is, 2017 looks like a great chance to add another banner to the right field rafters.
