The Seattle Mariners are right in the heat of the postseason race for the second straight year, only this time, they actually are in playoff position.
Opening up a four-game weekend set with the Cleveland Guardians yesterday, Seattle won by a final of 3-1.
That was the first of seven games that they’ll play against each other over the next 10 days.
What makes this rather interesting is that if the postseason began today, then this would be the No. 3-6 seed matchup in the American League Wild Card series.
These two clubs could be playing for bigger stakes in October, as pointed out by Bob Nightengale on Twitter.
The #Mariners beat the #Guardians, 3-1, in the first of seven games they'll play against each other over the next 10 days.
They could be playing again for bigger stakes in October.
If the season ended today, this would be the first-round matchup.— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 25, 2022
Postseason Preview?
This could be an interesting matchup in October.
These would be two teams that flew under the radar to get there if they do indeed meet in the first round.
The Guardians were well short of the postseason last year, finishing 80-82 and were somewhat quiet during the offseason and at the trade deadline.
The Mariners came out of nowhere and went 90-72 a year ago, falling just two games short of the final Wild Card spot in the AL.
This year, after a horrendous start, they’ve rebounded and now find themselves actually in playoff position.
Seattle has not reached the postseason since way back in 2001, when they were knocked out by the New York Yankees in the ALCS after winning 116 games in the regular season.
These two teams would make for an interesting postseason matchup this year.
Based on seeding, the Guardians would host the three games in the Wild Card round, but the Mariners have some elite pitching that can’t be counted out.
We’ll see what the next few days bring with this matchup.
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