Cal Raleigh was handed a microphone to address the crowd as he stood on the warning track Tuesday night after the Seattle Mariners clinched just their second playoff berth since 2001.
“Might as well go win the whole (expletive) thing,” the Mariners’ catcher and MLB home-run leader said as fans chanted “MVP!”
Josh Naylor’s three-run double with two outs in the eighth inning Tuesday rallied the Mariners (88-69) to a 4-3 victory against the visiting Colorado Rockies (43-114), giving Seattle at least a wild-card berth in the American League.
The Mariners can clinch the AL West title with a victory against the Rockies on Wednesday night or a Houston loss to the Athletics.
Seattle has won five straight games and 15 of its past 16.
After Tuesday’s contest, Mariners manager Dan Wilson, wearing his cap backward, ski goggles on his head and a bottle of champagne in his hand, addressed his team in the clubhouse.
“I’m going to keep it short tonight because we got more celebrating to do in a few days,” Wilson said. “So listen, outstanding job. Everybody in this room, a tremendous amount of gratitude for all the hard work that’s going into this thing. All season long, you guys have worked your tails off — everybody in here. We talked about it in spring training, it’s a journey up the mountain. We’re now one of those teams that earns the privilege to finish the course all the way to the top, boys, and it starts tomorrow. Let’s go!”
And with that, the party started.
The Mariners not only are seeking their first AL West title since their MLB-record-tying 116-win season of 2001, but they are chasing one of the AL’s top two seeds, which would give them a first-round bye.
“That’s our mentality,” outfielder Julio Rodriguez said. “We aren’t satisfied yet. We want to win every night. We want to take it ourselves. We are here for it.”
The Mariners’ rally spoiled what would have been the first major league victory for the Rockies’ McCade Brown.
Brown, making just his sixth MLB start, entered the game with an 0-4 record and 9.17 ERA. The right-hander allowed one run on two hits over five innings with two walks and a career-high 10 strikeouts, matching the most by a Rockies pitcher this season.
“I saw fastball command. I saw him get ahead, which allowed his breaking stuff to play,” Rockies interim manager Warren Schaeffer said. “Slider, curveball, changeup was all good over the plate. And for me, just the mound presence and how he is attacking hitters up with just everything that he has. Very impressive against a really good team and a tough environment.”
Wednesday’s game will feature a pair of right-handers in the Rockies’ Tanner Gordon (6-7, 6.00 ERA) against the Mariners’ Luis Castillo (10-8, 3.63).
Gordon is coming off a loss to visiting Miami last Thursday in which he allowed three earned runs on five hits over six innings of a 9-7 defeat. This will be his first appearance against Seattle.
Castillo has made three consecutive quality starts, winning two with a no-decision in a span in which he’s given up two runs on 10 hits over 18 innings, with two walks and 14 strikeouts. He pitched six scoreless innings of three-hit ball Thursday in a 2-0 victory at Kansas City.
Castillo is 2-3 with a 5.72 ERA in five career starts against the Rockies.
–Field Level Media
