Wilson Departs as Manager, Rizzs Calls Final Game as M’s Finish Year 76-86

The 2026 Mariners season has come to a close. It opened with incredible and much-discussed promise, it sank visibly into the unforgiving ocean as the season went on, and it came to an unceremonious end over the duration of September, each nail slammed in the casket to the crawling cadence of an old sea dirge.

The story of our latter-day Edmund Fitzgerald ended with the long-telegraphed departure of manager Dan Wilson, who informed his players before the final game that it would be his last as skipper. In response to a direct question about whether he had left of his own accord or whether the decision had come from above, Wilson merely left strong hints.

“This was, you know, I've been in baseball a while, and this is what happens,” he said. “Managers shoulder the blame and shoulder the responsibility. And this is obviously difficult, and my family and I are still processing it.”

In spite of it all, there was a bit of fanfare on the final Sunday of them all, but despite the 7-3 team win, it was for a series of individuals; the collective spirit had been drained to the uttermost depths long before Logan Gilbert took the hill for his final start of 2026.

Gilbert indeed had his flowers as he passed 200 strikeouts in a season for the second time in his career, finishing his year with 205 punchouts and moving up to 1,089 for his career. So did Randy Arozarena, who capped off a career year batting .281 with a .381 on-base percentage and .484 slugging. J.P. Crawford, the longest-tenured member of the team, went 1-3 to finish the year. Both Arozarena and Crawford are free agents after this season and both are unlikely to return to Seattle.

Legendary broadcaster Rick Rizzs, however, was the most notable departure. He addressed the crowd at length after the final pitch, thanking them for their support over 41 years broadcasting the team’s games.

“I am retiring, not expiring,” Rizzs playfully reassured the fans. “72, I’m still okay.”

Having announced before the season that 2026 would be his last, the extent of Rizzs’ remaining on-air career would be determined by the play on the field.

And that play, regardless of what happened on the final day, was not up to snuff.