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Mariners' One-Run Magic Has Them Firmly in Postseason Contention
Seattle's success despite its negative run differential is a statistical anomaly. But then again, so is a playoff drought that’s nearly old enough to drink.
The Mariners’ 4–2 win over the Rays on Tuesday night was downright boring by their standards: There was no late-inning comeback or tightrope-walking by the bullpen, and the two-run margin of victory qualified as a blowout compared to how the 2021 season has progressed thus far. A few more ho-hum wins like that, though, and Seattle could find itself in a position it hasn’t occupied in a great many years: smack-dab in the middle of the playoff picture.
The Mariners have not made the postseason since 2001, earning them the dubious distinction of having the longest active postseason drought in major North American sports. In the 19 years between Seattle’s last playoff appearance and this year, the team has had a dozen losing seasons, including a pair of 101-loss campaigns in '08 and '10.
Every other club has made the playoffs at least twice in that span, and 27 have reached the postseason at least three times. Thirteen different teams have won a World Series championship and none have gone back-to-back. In an era of true parity, the Mariners are time and time again the ones left standing without a chair when the music stops playing.
https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/08/04/marin ... the-opener
Seattle's success despite its negative run differential is a statistical anomaly. But then again, so is a playoff drought that’s nearly old enough to drink.
The Mariners’ 4–2 win over the Rays on Tuesday night was downright boring by their standards: There was no late-inning comeback or tightrope-walking by the bullpen, and the two-run margin of victory qualified as a blowout compared to how the 2021 season has progressed thus far. A few more ho-hum wins like that, though, and Seattle could find itself in a position it hasn’t occupied in a great many years: smack-dab in the middle of the playoff picture.
The Mariners have not made the postseason since 2001, earning them the dubious distinction of having the longest active postseason drought in major North American sports. In the 19 years between Seattle’s last playoff appearance and this year, the team has had a dozen losing seasons, including a pair of 101-loss campaigns in '08 and '10.
Every other club has made the playoffs at least twice in that span, and 27 have reached the postseason at least three times. Thirteen different teams have won a World Series championship and none have gone back-to-back. In an era of true parity, the Mariners are time and time again the ones left standing without a chair when the music stops playing.
https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/08/04/marin ... the-opener