What Went Wrong: Eighteen Innings, Zero Runs

October 15, 2000. The Seattle Mariners defeated the New York Yankees in Game Five of that year's American League Championship Series to stave off elimination, but they would lose Game Six to the team who went on to win the World Series. October 18, 2001. The Mariners lost Game Two of that year's American League Championship Series to fall behind two games to none. Manager Lou Piniella vowed and guaranteed that they would be back in Seattle playing Game Six, but after winning Game Three in The Bronx, they would lose Games Four and Five. They would not return to Seattle in that series. In fact, postseason baseball wouldn't return to the city of Seattle until October 15, 2022--nearly 21 years after their last home postseason game, and 22 years to the day after the last the Mariners won a home postseason game.

The Mariners earned that right by sweeping the Toronto Blue Jays in the best-of-three Wild Card Series, meaning their advancement to the Division Series would see the Mariners play at least one game at home. It looked like the Mariners would stun the Houston Astros in Game One, but Yordan Alvarez's walk-off home run begged to differ. Seattle would lose Game Two, but they would return home in front of a crowd that was hungry for postseason baseball. 21 years is a long time for any form of sports success. As a Colorado Avalanche fan, I can relate. But the wait was over, and the Mariners were playing postseason baseball at Safeco Field.

Sadly, the home field was not kind to their offense. What followed after the elation of playing at home was...well...nothing. It was zeroes across the board, for many, many hours. It was no score after nine innings. Then it was no score after 12 innings. Same after 15 innings. When the game reached 16 innings and still had no runs, it became the longest scoreless game in MLB postseason history--eclipsing Game Two of the Wild Card Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cleveland Guardians a week prior! The game ended up going 18 innings, and at that time, Game Three of the Yankees/Guardians series was in the eighth inning, and Game Four of the Dodgers/Padres series was getting started. The 18th inning saw Jeremy Pena hit a solo home run, while Seattle couldn't even the score.

So that Game Three was one thing that went wrong for the Mariners. Shut out, at home, in an 18 inning game. The Mariners took the words of the late, great Ernie Banks literally, "Let's play two!," but couldn't score a single run. They only had seven hits in the marathon game, so a lack of offense was definitely one problem.

Another plague hit the Mariners during this series against the Astros, and it came in the form of two words: Robbie Ray. As a starter, Ray (in his first season with the Mariners) went 12-12 with a 3.71 ERA. However, in this year's postseason, Ray worked relief, and it was not a good outing. An 0-1 record and an ERA of 12.27, and this included giving up not one, but two game-winning home runs in the ALDS. Ray surrendered Alvarez's walk off home run in Game One, and in Game Three, he gave up Pena's solo shot in the 18th inning. The Game One HR came after Seattle led for the entire game, and honestly, when Alvarez connected, I knew two things: one, it was gone, and two, Seattle wasn't winning a game in this series.

With the three game sweep, the Houston Astros reached the American League Championship Series for the sixth consecutive season. The odd numbered years saw them win pennants. Houston will have home-field advantage in the ALCS due to having the top record. As for the Mariners, even with the disappointing ending, they should be happy regarding this season, and the same goes for their fans. They got postseason baseball for the first time in 21 years. They got the pieces that made it possible. If they continue doing the right things, the Mariners should be a perennial postseason team, and who knows, maybe their first-ever pennant could be on the horizon.

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