One year ago, no Mariners fan could have guessed the outcome of the 2025 season. They broke several records, climbed to heights they hadn’t been to in decades, and wowed not only Seattle, but the nation.
However, the season began poorly. They were 4-8 by the beginning of April, following several tough losses.
But it was only April 9th when their luck began to pick up. Randy Azozarena hit a grand slam in the 8th inning against the Astros. The Mariners went on to win the game 7-6 and soon after improved enough to lead the AL West at the end of April. Two players even won back-to-back AL Player of the Week awards. (An honor given by the MLB each week of the regular season to recognize the best-performing player in the American League.)
In May, the Mariners began to spiral. They lost five games at home against the Blue Jays, then three games in Houston against the Astros.
June and July proved to be uneven. June’s record was sub .500, while July came with a flurry of sudden wins. They acquired first baseman Josh Naylor, left-handed reliever Caleb Ferguson, and third baseman Eugenio Suárez in a series of trades. These new players were instrumental in their coming victories. July finished with a sweep of the Pirates, Tigers, and Astros.
By this time, many fans had strong hopes for the playoffs. But they still had a ways to go.
August rolled around with a loss to the Texas Rangers and immediately was met with an 8-game winning streak at home. It was during this month that the number 51 was retired- Ichiro Suzuki’s number. He was placed in the MLB Hall of Fame on August 9th, 2025. Their success soon took a nosedive, with a 6-15 by the fifth of September.
Several players returned to the field at the end of August, and the roster was expanded in early September, promoting players such as Harry Ford and Leo Rivas.
They faced their lowest winning percentage since the 10th of July- 73 to 68. Only days after this percentage was announced, the Mariners were rejuvenated with an extended fiery streak that eventually led to their division title!
The Mariners swept the Braves twice, then the Cardinals, Angels, and Royals. During the stretch, Cal Raleigh hit his 55th home run and Bryan Woo struck out 13 players. Hilarious, though, was the team and fans’ employment of two superstitions- the players grew mustaches and the fans embraced an Etsy witch’s charm.
Sadly, though, the team’s winning streak ended on September 17th.
But this didn’t stop the Mariners!
On September 23, they clinched a spot in the playoffs (their first since 2022) after beating the Rockies 9-2. This was also the team’s first AL West title since 2001. In their September 25th game, also against the Rockies, the Mariners secured a bye to the American League Division Series. This was because they were a #2 seed- the second best team in the American League.
This was the end of the regular season. “Raleigh’s 60 home runs set new single-season records for a catcher, a switch-hitter and Mariners players. Seattle finished third as a team in home runs, and Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez, Randy Azozarena, Jorge Polanco each hit at least 25 home runs, the most for the team since 1997.” (Wikipedia)
Next was the postseason. Their first game was against the Tigers. They won, then lost, then dominated the fourth. The fifth game they lost, setting up the final one for a tie breaker. The Mariners won after a 15-inning game and sent the team to the American League Champion Series.
They played the Blue Jays next. The whole country was rooting for the Mariners. They started off very strongly- winning the first two games. Unfortunately, the Blue Jays pulled ahead with two victories for themselves. Seattle won the fifth, and Toronto the sixth, so a seventh game was forced.
It was close. It was tight.
It was heartbreaking for Mariners fans.
They lost 4-3, after holding a 3-1 lead for the majority of the game.
And just like that, it was all over.
But was it? The Mariners broke many team- and league- records. 2025 was the franchise’s deepest postseason run ever. They were the AL West Champions. Cal Raleigh won Sporting News MLB Player of the Year. Cal Raleigh was also the Home Run Derby winner. They won the Longest Winner-Take-All Playoff Game.
The conclusion was heartbreaking. But the journey, and the pit stops along the way, were golden. So perhaps in our hearts, the Mariners won the World Series.
Besides, there’s always next year.
Citations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Seattle_Mariners_season#Postseason Accessed October 22, 2025
https://www.statmuse.com/mlb/ask/mariners-record-by-month Accessed October 24, 2025
