The Seattle Mariners stay in wildcard contention with an electric win. As announcer Drew Sims said in-between moments of shock, hope, and pure joy “This is one of the best Mariners games in a long while.” That may be an understatement. It was emotional to witness such an exhilarating comeback against the Los Angeles Angels. The win ties the Mariners with the Toronto Blue Jays at one game back. They both sit one game back from both the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. Game 162 is going to be wild. Seattle, you’re right in the middle of the chaos.
Mariners Stay In Contention With Win
Seattle’s big three are Mitch Haniger, Kyle Seager, and Ty France. Nobody has been more influential to the Mariners than those three. They showed why on Saturday night, going a combined 8-11. They helped keep the Mariners in wildcard contention. After an uncharacteristic inning for the Mariners’ bullpen that resulted in a home run by the Angels, the season was slipping away. Just as they have all season, the big names delivered. Seager had two hits in the middle of the craziness. France had two doubles, as well as a crucial walk. However, Haniger had a magical moment.
The Moment
The flashing cell phone lights, and the roar from the crowd of 44,414 fans could not have created a better atmosphere. Of course, the magical phrase “Believe” on signs scattered across the ballpark added to that as well. Believe could not have been more fitting for the moment than ever before. Haniger has been the Mariners’ man. All they needed was a batted ball that would turn into a game-winning hit. When Haniger gets the bat on the ball, his xSLG is in the 82 percentile in MLB. The expected probability for a batted ball for Haniger is high. Of course, he was just the player to have up at the plate at that moment. With a 3-2 count, two out, and the season on the line, Haniger delivered. A moment players dream of, and Haniger lived the dream.
Game 162
This is the day lovers of the beautiful game of baseball look forward to. With a potential four-way tie in the equation, it makes this day that much better. There are so many possibilities to arise from Sunday’s play. With all games happening at relatively the same time, there will be no “now we know what we need to do” moment for the Mariners. For the Mariners to play in a game 163 tiebreaker, Seattle has to win and either Boston or New York loses. The same situation is in play for Toronto. It is another must-win for the Mariners. They also have to rely on a loss from either Boston or New York. Now, if a four-way tie happens where both Toronto and Seattle win and New York and Boston lose, that is messy. Too messy to worry about before a big game 162, for now.
The Mariners need to play game 162 just like that. They have to leave it all out there and not worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Tonight is sure to be sleepless for Seattle in anticipation of the biggest game in recent memory. The Mariners will put their faith in the man they acquired for the big moments, Tyler Anderson. The lineup will look to keep up the electricity from Saturday. The game time is 12:10 PST. It is now or never. 20 years of heartache on the line in game 162. It all comes down to this.
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