The Seattle Mariners franchise has had some quietly demoralizing statistics across its shameful 48 years in action. The Mariners held the longest active playoff drought in North American sports history, spanning 21 years, and ended it with a Wild Card playoff berth in 2022. 2001, right before that drought, could also be considered an outlier performance: the Mariners tied the Major League Baseball (MLB) record with 116 regular-season wins. Finally, despite making the American League Champions Series in 1995, 2000, and 2001, the Mariners are the only active MLB franchise to have never appeared in a World Series, a truly abysmal statistic.
To add insult to injury, the Mariners have, since their inception in 1977, finished with losing records in 30 of 49 seasons, resulting in winning records only 39% of the time. Right from the start, the Mariners faced embarrassing stats in the 1978 season, losing 104 games out of 160. Four other seasons had over 100 losses: 1980 (103 losses), 1983 (201 losses), and 2008 and 2010 (101 losses each). Following their expansion season in 1977 and a move from their original Seattle home to Milwaukee, from being the “Pilots” to the “Brewers,” they did not achieve a winning season until 1991. They only made the playoffs four times during their first 42 seasons, from 1977 to 2018. The Mariners’ four playoff appearances occurred during an outstanding seven-year period from 1995 to 2001, which left as quickly as it came. All of this losing has cultivated something of a losing culture.
However, all of this being said, the Mariners just lost a hard-fought, tooth-and-nail battle for a spot in the World Series, losing the first-to-four series, to the Toronto Blue Jays. So why did the Mariners see so much success this season? Was it a fluke accident or the beginning of a budding, finally fruitful franchise?
To set the stage, the Mariners began their 2024 season with promising performances, but by mid-June they began an extensive fall from grace, going 21-33 during the following two months. This proved to be the worst record (other than that of the Chicago White Sox) in this time stretch in the 2024 MLB season. Following the 2023 season, the franchise sacked manager Scooter Servais and replaced him with former Mariners catcher Dan Wilson. During the beginning of Wilson’s reign, the Mariners went 16-10, showcasing a much-improved offense that was less dependent on home runs. The Mariners’ success in 2025 was largely because of multiple breakout player performances, a strong starting rotation of pitchers, and a very solid catcher in Cal Raleigh. Coupled with this, the Mariners have also seen stellar play in their outfield from Julio Rodríguez, Randy Arozarena, and Victor Robles, bolstering their defense.
Now where does this leave the long-term prognosis of the franchise? I am not sure — maybe this newfound success is the fuel needed to fire up the franchise, city, and fans in the process of creating a long, fruitful dynasty. Maybe this season may prove to be a red herring. All I know is that everyone loves an underdog story, so I will be soundly, proudly rooting for the Mariners in their next season, and hopefully seeing their first World Series berth.
