It’s September 19th, and the news out of the AL Wild Card race for our Seattle Mariners is just a gut punch. We’re sitting at a tough 72-82 record, a full six games behind the final Wild Card spot, and with the regular season wrapping up on September 27th, it’s getting real tough to watch our hopes fade.
The Wild Card Squeeze Is Real
Man, looking at the AL Wild Card standings right now, it’s a tight squeeze at the top, but we’re just not in it. The New York Yankees have already clinched a playoff spot, sitting way out front at 89-64 with an 11.5 game lead over the next wild card team. The Boston Red Sox are holding onto a spot at 84-70, a solid six games up. The Chicago White Sox are currently in that crucial third and final Wild Card spot, with a 78-76 record. Just ahead of them are the Texas Rangers at 77-77, only one game back from the White Sox. Then you’ve got the Toronto Blue Jays at 76-78, two games back, and the Baltimore Orioles, 75-79, three games back. Our M’s, alongside the Minnesota Twins, are stuck at 72-82, a full six games behind that third spot. It just feels like there’s no room to make up that kind of ground with so few days left, does it?
Clinched Spots and Our AL West Reality
While we’re out here grinding, other teams are already locking things down. In the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays have clinched their playoff spot, dominating at 93-60. Those New York Yankees also locked up their spot. Over in the National League, it’s even more set: the Milwaukee Brewers clinched their NL playoff title on September 11th, the Los Angeles Dodgers clinched their NL playoff spot on September 14th, and the Atlanta Braves snagged an NL playoff spot on September 18th. For the Orioles, who are ahead of us, they still need to hit their magic number of 9 to make the AL wild card, but they’re still in the fight in a way we’re not. And in our own AL West, we’re holding steady at 72-82, trailing both the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers, who are tied at 77-77. The Athletics (61-93) and Angels (59-95) are both eliminated.
The regular season wraps up quick, folks, on Sunday, September 27th. Then the Wild Card Series kicks off just a couple days later on Tuesday, September 29th. For our Mariners, at 72-82, it’s not looking like we’ll be playing past that final regular season game this year. It’s a tough pill to swallow, especially seeing everyone else making their moves. But hey, we’re still here, still watching every pitch, and still bleeding that Mariners teal. We’ll keep hoping, but the clock is ticking down fast.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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