4 amazing moments that delivered 2025 Mariners' long-awaited AL West title

The 2025 Seattle Mariners are finally division champions. For decades, Mariners fans have lived with the narrative that October baseball would always be just out of reach, that the AL West belonged to other dynasties while Seattle looked on from the outside. That script has been rewritten in emphatic fashion this season.

If you want to understand how the Mariners climbed to the top of the AL West for the first time in 24 years, you don’t need to comb through spreadsheets of advanced metrics. You only need to relive the moments that sent fans leaping from couches and barstools, jumping for joy at T-Mobile Park, and flooding social media. From April to September, the Mariners found ways to deliver baseball’s most intoxicating mix — hope, heartbreak, chaos, and triumph. These four moments weren’t just wins, they were turning points in a season Seattle will never forget.

4 amazing moments that delivered 2025 Mariners' long-awaited AL West title

April 9th: Randy Arozarena’s comeback masterpiece

Every division run has a spark, and for the 2025 Mariners, it came early in April against the Astros. Trailing late and staring down a series loss, Randy Arozarena turned a quiet Wednesday matinee into one of the loudest moments of the season. With the Mariners down four in the eighth, Arozarena launched his second career grand slam into the left-field seats, erasing Houston’s cushion in one swing and electrifying the Mariners dugout. One inning later, with two outs and the bases loaded, he showed a veteran’s patience, working a full count before drawing a walk-off walk that sealed Seattle’s miraculous 7-6 win.

July 13th: J-Rod torches Detroit

By mid-July, fans usually expect Julio Rodríguez to be in the middle of his annual summer surge. But after a slower start than in previous seasons, he made headlines by announcing he would skip the All-Star Game to rest and recharge for the stretch run. As it turned out, he didn’t wait until after the break to flip the switch. The weekend before the Midsummer Classic in Detroit, Rodríguez put on a show.

He didn’t just homer once against the Tigers — he went on a spree. On Friday, he launched a 440-foot blast off reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. On Saturday, he followed with a 427-foot rocket off reliever Keider Montero. And in Sunday’s finale, he completed the trifecta with a scorching line drive over the right-field wall off Jack Flaherty. He even came close earlier in the same at-bat, pulling a slider just foul before adjusting and correcting his aim.

It was only the second time in his career that Rodríguez had homered in three straight games, but this streak carried a different weight. It wasn’t about padding an All-Star résumé — it was about reminding Seattle he’s still just scratching the surface of his career while sending a clear message to the rest of the league: the Mariners’ chase for the AL West was very real.

August 8th: Raleigh’s slump-busting blast

Every player has a low point during a season, and Cal Raleigh’s arrived in August. The Mariners’ catcher was mired in his worst slump of the year, his bat quieter than anyone in Seattle wanted to admit. But on August 8th, with the Mariners clinging to a late-game deficit against the Rays, Raleigh made sure the “slumper” talk died quickly.

Facing Griffin Jax, one of Tampa Bay’s nastiest late-inning arms, Raleigh stayed on a sweeper and crushed it deep into the Seattle night for a go-ahead three-run homer. It was his 43rd of the season and a reminder that when the Mariners needed a clutch at-bat, “Big Dumper” would always be there to deliver.

September 20th: Robles shuts the door

By late September, every play felt like it carried weight, and Victor Robles delivered a defensive gem that sealed Seattle’s destiny. Protecting a slim 6-4 lead in Houston, Robles came racing in on a dying liner and launched into a full-extension dive to rob the Astros of a hit in the bottom of the ninth.

Robles wasn’t done. He quickly jumped up and threw the ball to the cut-off man to double off Jake Meyers, who had already crossed home plate believing he’d tied the game. Instead, the Mariners walked off the field victorious, their right fielder having delivered the exclamation point that silenced their biggest rival and put them on the doorstep of the division crown.

The Mariners didn’t clinch the AL West with one swing, one catch, or one weekend. They won it with moments strung together, each as vital as the last, painting a mosaic of resilience, swagger, and unshakable belief. There were countless highlights, far too many to list, but these four milestones stand out as cornerstones of a magical season built in Seattle.