You have to say it feels nice; it is July 10, and the Mariners are sitting comfortably seven games above .500 with a decent 49-42 record. There aren't many words that could really begin to describe the feelings of a Mariners fan at this moment, as they are in playoff position for the first time in years.
This is new, especially for a teenager that is too young to remember a winning Mariners team. I wasn't around for the magic of the '95 season, and (sadly) never got to experience that moment. I was two years old when they went on to win 116 games in the '01 season, so I wasn't quite matured enough to remember that either. I am not used to watching a baseball team in the Emerald City that wins the majority of their games. Perhaps, this is why I am already excited about this team at the halfway point of the season.
The fact of the matter is, this team is good.
All-star ace King Felix continues to be dominant on the hill with a 10-2 record, and Iwakuma came back strong after the injury that kept him out for several weeks of the beginning of the season. Chris Young has proved to be one of the best offseason pickups in baseball this year as he has shown his ability to hold some of the best offenses there are. Roenis Elias, the rookie that was brought up from Double-A Jackson at the end of Spring Training has shown that he is worthy as he has found a groove on the major league club. Not to mention that they have the best bullpen in the game that has gotten the starters out of many zero and one out jams completely scot-free. The pitching staff of the Seattle Mariners has performed great and saved the team in some sub-par offensive performances.
Although, they still have struggled to hit the ball, the M's have shown a consistent ability to convert on the opportunities they do get. The offense, fueled by all-stars Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager, have shown enough to get the Mariners by, bringing in runs whenever they get the chance. Mid-season call-up James Jones has also brought some firepower up from Tacoma with him and contributed to the Mariners offense as well. With the trade deadline coming, it is quite possible to see another powerful right-handed bat added to the middle of the lineup for the second half of the season. The offense at Safeco has definitely improved from past years.
All this team needs to keep going is support. They need to have people coming down to SoDo to see them play and root for them. The reason that they don't have that now is their losing history. This year, they are winners, and it is obvious. You can't have a playoff team with an empty stadium. So, I call upon the people of this city to get excited about this team. We don't know if we will have another one like this for a while. It sure is a nice change to have a winning team, so let's take advantage of it.
Go Mariners.
This is new, especially for a teenager that is too young to remember a winning Mariners team. I wasn't around for the magic of the '95 season, and (sadly) never got to experience that moment. I was two years old when they went on to win 116 games in the '01 season, so I wasn't quite matured enough to remember that either. I am not used to watching a baseball team in the Emerald City that wins the majority of their games. Perhaps, this is why I am already excited about this team at the halfway point of the season.
The fact of the matter is, this team is good.
All-star ace King Felix continues to be dominant on the hill with a 10-2 record, and Iwakuma came back strong after the injury that kept him out for several weeks of the beginning of the season. Chris Young has proved to be one of the best offseason pickups in baseball this year as he has shown his ability to hold some of the best offenses there are. Roenis Elias, the rookie that was brought up from Double-A Jackson at the end of Spring Training has shown that he is worthy as he has found a groove on the major league club. Not to mention that they have the best bullpen in the game that has gotten the starters out of many zero and one out jams completely scot-free. The pitching staff of the Seattle Mariners has performed great and saved the team in some sub-par offensive performances.
Although, they still have struggled to hit the ball, the M's have shown a consistent ability to convert on the opportunities they do get. The offense, fueled by all-stars Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager, have shown enough to get the Mariners by, bringing in runs whenever they get the chance. Mid-season call-up James Jones has also brought some firepower up from Tacoma with him and contributed to the Mariners offense as well. With the trade deadline coming, it is quite possible to see another powerful right-handed bat added to the middle of the lineup for the second half of the season. The offense at Safeco has definitely improved from past years.
All this team needs to keep going is support. They need to have people coming down to SoDo to see them play and root for them. The reason that they don't have that now is their losing history. This year, they are winners, and it is obvious. You can't have a playoff team with an empty stadium. So, I call upon the people of this city to get excited about this team. We don't know if we will have another one like this for a while. It sure is a nice change to have a winning team, so let's take advantage of it.
Go Mariners.