Seattle Mariners' magic number for playoffs is single digit
The Seattle Mariners’ push for the playoffs has officially entered “magic number” territory.
Following Tuesday’s 12-5 rout of the Kansas City Royals, which was a season-high 10th straight win for the Mariners, their magic number to clinch the playoffs is just eight. That’s right, just a single digit.
Mariners’ 10th straight win brings them closer to AL’s No. 2 seed
This means that with any combination equaling eight of the Mariners’ own wins and losses by the first team outside of the American League’s six postseason spots, the Cleveland Guardians, Seattle would secure its first playoff berth since 2022.
If the Mariners (83-68 record) were to continue their win streak through to the weekend, that magic number could be reached as soon as Saturday. There could even be a little extra help there as the Guardians (79-71) are set for a doubleheader Saturday at Minnesota, so they have five games over the next four days.
Not that it’s likely the Mariners will clinch that soon. A more conservative estimate would be sometime next week, which would be just fine for fans in Seattle considering the M’s will return to T-Mobile Park next Tuesday for their final six-game homestand.
That magic number only has to do with the AL’s third and final wild card, though, and the Mariners enter Wednesday in possession of first place in the AL West. The more important magic number at this point is for Seattle to win the division, which it currently leads the Houston Astros (83-69) by just a half-game.
The magic number for the M’s to clinch the AL West is 10, but they could take a big bite out of that this weekend in a gigantic three-game series at Houston starting Friday. Any Mariners win in that series would lower Seattle’s magic number to take the division by two.
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The Mariners would really help themselves out by taking at least two of three in Houston, because the season series between the two rivals is currently tied at 5-5. The winner of the weekend series at Daikin Park will take a potentially crucial tiebreaker over the other.
Beginning with the middle game of the series against Kansas City (75-76) on Wednesday, the Mariners have just 11 games to go. Their final road trip will end on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball in Houston, after which the M’s will play three games at home against the lowly Colorado Rockies (41-110) starting next Tuesday, then three games against the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers (84-67) to close out the regular season.
Wednesday’s game against the Royals is set for a 4:40 p.m. first pitch, with radio coverage on Seattle Sports starting at 3:30 with the pregame show.
More on the Seattle Mariners
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• ESPN’s Passan: What it could cost Mariners to keep Josh Naylor
• Passan: ‘The Mariners go on heaters when Jorge Polanco goes on heaters’
• The numbers behind Seattle Mariners’ red-hot September surge
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