Mariners fans are desperate for a happy ending to a movie they've seen before

The Seattle Mariners haven't made it easy on their fans this year. They've gone up, down, sideways and even into other dimensions, and there have been times when dreams of a deep playoff run have given way to nightmares of yet another long, depressing winter.

Mercifully, this is not one of those times.

The Mariners enter their final road trip of the year having won nine games in a row, a streak which has secured them sole possession of first place in the American League West and bought them a whole bunch of goodwill among the fanbase. The Pacific Northwest has Mariners fever, which is not typically the norm after the Seahawks have kicked off their season.

At the same time, Mariners fans know better than to go all-in. There's history here, and the goodwill of the moment is a mere salve for the burns said history has caused.

Mariners fans are hoping this familiar movie has a happy ending for a change

It's not often that the Mariners are in the position they're in right now. They have made the playoffs only five times in their nearly half-century of existence, which is mostly owed to too many years wasted by bad teams. More recently, it's been owed to a hair-pulling run of near-misses.

Yet even a franchise with this history has had its "Team of Destiny" moments. There was obviously the 116-win club of 2001, and you can point to two instances of the M's setting the tone for 2025 with late surges into playoff contention.

Many remember the 1995 Mariners, who went 17-5 in their last 22 games to win the AL West on the final day of the regular season. Most everyone still remembers the 2022 Mariners, who finished on a 31-20 run to clinch a wild card berth.

The 2025 Mariners are following the same playbook. They got as far as 7.0 games out of first place back in July, and they were deep in the muck amid a 6-15 stretch just a couple weeks ago. Now they're the hottest team in MLB and drawing glowing testimonials about their playoff potential.

Why not, right? Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez are carrying one of MLB's most potent offenses. The pitching has been unpredictable, but nobody doubts the talent is there. And with a 48-27 record at T-Mobile Park, the Mariners project to have a legitimate homefield advantage.

Still, Mariners fans have every right to treat their team as vulnerable until proven otherwise. Even Ken Griffey Jr.'s mad dash and an epic comeback in Toronto are bittersweet memories of the 1995 and 2022 clubs, who burned brightly early in October only to fall short of the World Series. And even if the playoffs haven't started yet, it's too easy to envision the 2025 Mariners meeting a similar fate.

Indeed, everyone knows this team's weaknesses. Winning on the road is the big one, as their home record comes paired with a dismal 34-41 road record. The illness is one of bad pitching, with Seattle hurlers posting a 3.26 ERA at home and 4.60 ERA on the road.

On these accounts, the six games the Mariners have left on the road feel ominous. The Houston Astros will pose a singular threat when the M's visit Daikin Park this weekend, and the Kansas City Royals are not to be underestimated in the meantime. They're good at keeping runs off the board, and especially at home in support of a 40-35 record at Kauffman Stadium.

With apologies to the Han Solos among us, the odds are looking good for the Mariners. FanGraphs has them as a 64.1 percent favorite to win the AL West and, even more amazingly, the AL's leading World Series contender.

And yet, Mariners fans aren't going to look at those figures and wonder what could possibly go wrong. They already know the answer.

Game Times and Probable Pitchers for Mariners vs. Royals, September 16-18

• Tuesday, September 16 at 4:40 p.m. PT: Logan Gilbert vs. Michael Wacha
• Wednesday, September 17 at 4:40 p.m. PT: Bryce Miller vs. Cole Ragans
• Thursday, September 18 at 11:10 a.m. PT: Luis Castillo vs. Michael Lorenzen