The Seattle Mariners weren’t expected to make a ton of noise this season after a perplexing offseason that left fans frustrated with ownership’s lack of aggression, yet the team is rolling while its division rivals are scuffling.
One insider has made a strong claim after the team’s 8-4 win over the Chicago White Sox last night capped off by a walk-off grand slam from Cal Raleigh.
MLB Network’s Jon Morosi pointed out on Twitter today that the Mariners have the largest division lead in the American League and their starters have thrown the most innings of any rotation, which makes them the team nobody should want to face in October.
These are simply facts, and it’s hard to believe this is the AL team with the biggest lead at the moment given how hot the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, and Cleveland Guardians have been.
The Mariners weren’t expected to improve upon last season, especially given how tough the top of the AL West is with the defending champion Texas Rangers and 2022 champion Houston Astros in the mix, but both squads have stumbled out of the gates and are still fighting to get above .500.
Starting pitching wins in October, and the Mariners have a top four that compete with anybody in Luis Castillo, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, and Bryce Miller, all of whom have an ERA well under 4.00 and haven’t missed a turn in the rotation this season.
The rotation has been even better lately with the return of Bryan Woo, who is 3-0 with a 1.07 ERA across six starts since making his 2024 debut in the middle of May.