Mapping the Mariners' road to the World Series after AL West division clincher

In 2022, the Mariners broke one of the longest playoff droughts in American sports. This year, they broke another drought by clinching the division for the first time since 2001, an appropriate way to celebrate the recent Hall of Fame induction of franchise legend Ichiro Suzuki. Now, the final obstacle to overcome is one that has hounded the organization ever since its inception.

It's a well-known fact that the Mariners are the only active MLB team to have never made it to a World Series. They've only played in the ALCS three times in 48 years and faced a Yankees dynasty in two of those attempts, but a trip to the World Series is long overdue. Furthermore, FanGraphs has given the Mariners the greatest odds of any team to win it all.

So, with just four regular-season games left to play, what could a road to the championship look like for Seattle?

As a division winner, the Mariners are guaranteed to be one of the top three seeds. They are three wins ahead of the Central-leading Guardians, who are on a historic ascent in their own right. Mathematically, there's still a chance the Mariners could fall to the third seed or overtake the Yankees or Blue Jays —who both lead Seattle by one win — as the first seed in the American League.

These are the playoff paths in front of the Mariners

As the No. 3 seed

It would be quite a sad finish to an otherwise great regular season but as the third seed, their postseason would begin against the sixth seed, currently slated to be the Detroit Tigers. Their next step would be the Division Series where they'd face another division winner, likely the Guardians, before facing the winner of the other side of the AL bracket that currently contains the Yankees, Blue Jays and Red Sox in the Championship Series. This would make their first playoff game Tuesday, September 30th in Seattle.

As the No. 2 seed

If the Mariners maintain their current spot in the postseason picture, they would get to skip the first round of the playoff bracket and get started in the Division Series, probably facing either the Tigers or the Guardians. This would lead to facing one of the three AL East playoff teams in the ALCS. Starting in the Division Series would make the team's first playoff game Saturday, October 4th in Seattle.

As the No. 1 seed

A rise to the top of the AL bracket would have the biggest effect on potential matchups, as it would mean that the Mariners would have to face one of the AL East contenders first before heading to the ALCS. Outside of a different slate of potential opponents, the path to the World Series would remain the same, requiring the team to win the ALDS and ALCS.

In a 162-game season, four games hardly seems like a lot, but in the eleventh hour of the postseason race, the results of the final week could have major implications on how October goes. The Astros still haven't technically been eliminated, but this is looking like it will be the first year since 2016 that they won't be playing baseball past the regular season. The Mariners guaranteed their spot during the first game of the Rockies' series in dramatic fashion, but a strong finish could give them an extra week of rest, while a failure to secure the deal would come with the risk of an unceremonious exit in the Wild Card round.

Seattle has been waiting for half a century for their shot at baseball glory. With this year's talent, momentum, and SoDo Mojo, the long wait may finally be over.