The Mariners 2018 season in Four Chapters

The Mariners season has been a bit of a roller coaster. Or perhaps, more accurately, a novel.

Chapter 1: Fluke or not? (Mariners Opening Night-May 4th)

The Mariners opened the season with a fortuitous one-run win against the Indians. The Mariners had a winning record through the first month of the season but the jury was still out. That’s the problem with the opening months of the season. Players are getting gelled into their new teams and kinks are still working themselves out.

In April it’s too early to predict how well a team will do and the teams sitting in first may be flukes. The teams in last may make a surge, you just don’t know. Through May 4th, the M’s were 18-13 after a home loss to the Halos. Big whoop, the team was over .500. But would this team maintain a winning record or end up being a fluke who happened to have a winning record after month number one?

Chapter 2: Finding ways to win (May 5th-June 19th)

May 5th, 2018. Mike Zunino hit a go-ahead homer against the Angels after trailing most of the game. However, Edwin Diaz blew the save in the ninth to make it six apiece heading into extras. It looked like the Mariners would find another way to choke at home against the tough Angels.

Whatever mojo the Mariners had come alive in this game, this was the turning point. We overcame three deficits in that game alone to come back and win via a Healy walk-off. Wait, this Mariners team looked different than past! We became a contender with many close, hard-fought victories the next month. And all the one-run wins surely meant playoff drought over, right?

Chapter 3: Sit or Stanton? (June 20th-July 5th)

The Mariners blew a five-run lead against the Yanks on June 20th. And who more fitting to hit the walk-off homer than struggling Giancarlo Stanton? This was the first heartbreaking loss of the season capped by a bullpen collapse.

The walk-off loss brought flashbacks of past M’s teams finding ways to lose. After the chance to make huge statements, the team finished the road trip 1-5 against two of the AL’s elites. Was this a glitch or had the team peaked? This chapter ends with a series win against the Angels but Giancarlo blew the wind out of our sails with his homer.

Chapter 4: The Slide (July 6th-Present)

At one point the Mariners sat comfortably in a playoff spot but gradually watched Oakland leapfrog them. July 6th began with a home series against the Rockies and the struggles began there. The Rox gave the M’s their first series loss in a while, including two total runs the first two series games.

The bullpen turned sour, the hitting looked lost, and the starters came to earth as the Mariners have lost 13 series since July 6th! The Mariners boat sank. This became another year of frustration after such hope and excitement for October.

Let’s hope 2019’s Mariner novel is more of a romantic comedy than a dark one, people. Here’s to next season.