Mariners welcome back Sunday Night Baseball with a blowout win over Mets

The Seattle Mariners are finally starting to get the national media's attention and respect. The Mariners have not played on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball in over 20 years, and with their performance Sunday night, the Mariners are getting the attention they rightfully deserve. The Mariners may be the most forgotten about franchise in all of baseball. They play in the Pacific Northwest, with no other geographical rivals near them.

While recent success should have warranted even a road matchup for Sunday Night Baseball, The Mariners have always seemed to fall through the cracks. Over the past 20 seasons, the Mariners have only made the playoffs once, in 2022. They have had a few seasons with Wild Card chases sprinkled in, but ultimately they always fell short. Star players like Ichiro, Felix Hernandez, and others were not appreciated enough by the national media.

That makes what the Mariners did in Sunday night's game so special. The Mariners beat the brakes off of the New York Mets by a score of 12-1. The Mariners outscored the Mets 22-1 in the three-game series, blanking them in both of the previous games. Behind the beautiful City Connect uniforms and another Luis Castillo quality start, the Mets never stood a chance.

The score was one thing, but the ESPN crew seemed to have a great time. Mariners outfielder Victor Robles was mic'd up during the game, and he put on a show that made National fans want to bow their heads and cry. During the game, Robles talked smack to teammates, made a catch, and even answered questions about his beloved pet monkeys. It was must-see TV.

Cal Raleigh had himself a night, clubbing two home runs and driving in five runs. If the national audience was unaware of Big Dumper's game, they sure are now. Jorge Polanco also homered and doubled, while Dominic Canzone doubled twice. Victor Robles and Randy Arozarena both drove in two runs as well.

In what seemed like a magical night at the ballpark, the Mariners even welcomed back their own superstar, Julio Rodriguez, off of the injured list. Julio had missed about two weeks with a high ankle sprain and was activated in time for the game tonight. He will be the designated hitter for the meantime, while he works to build strength back in his injured ankle. He struggled in this game, going 0-5 with five strikeouts. But it was awesome to see him back in the lineup.

Hopefully, the decision-makers at ESPN see what the Mariners can offer and bring Sunday Night Baseball back to Seattle this season. The Mariners are currently tied with the Houston Astros for first place in the American League West division, and just 2.5 games back of the third Wild Card spot.

As always, Go Mariners!