Cal Raleigh Walks Off Yankees, Mariners Take One-Run Win Despite Missed Chances
The Mariners exited the weekend four-game set against the Guardians having scored nine more runs than their opponents but with just as many losses as wins. One-run games on Thursday and Saturday both went against the hosts, with the team seemingly figuring out how to deploy its roster in close matchups.
Seattle faced another one-run game against a 3-0 Yankees team on Monday night, and although the pitching was filthy, both the defense and offense seemed to have a bad case of the Mondays, letting several opportunities slip past at the dish and serving up a key non-out to New York in the seventh. But all’s well that ends well, and none other than Cal Raleigh knocked the winning run home in the bottom of the ninth to put all the night’s adversity behind them.
Luis Castillo notches his 1500th strikeout against Aaron Judge to cap off six shutout innings.
Mariners starter Luis Castillo isn’t the ace he once was. His once-elite grounder rate from his time with the Reds fell to around league average in his last few years with the Mariners, and his above average ratio of homers to fly balls in 2025 suggested he got on the good side of the Seattle marine layer. Still, his decline into his 30s has thus far been a graceful one, with a 3.54 ERA and 3.88 FIP last year.
Hancock Stuns in First 2026 Outing, Mariners Thump Guardians 8-0
It all seemed to come together on Sunday afternoon. Unlike the first or third game of the series, where the Mariners kept it close but fell in the end thanks to some bullpen mismanagement, defensive miscues, and lethargic hitting - and unlike the second game, where two timely homers brought them to victory - there wasn’t a single moment of the fourth game between Seattle and the Cleveland Guardians where it seemed the pressure was on for the home crew.
Hitters up and down the lineup did their duty, the defense looked good, and that whole tone was set when a once-touted prospect whose bad luck had eaten his star finally seemed to turn a corner.
Hancock impresses in first 2026 start, tossing six no-hit innings and setting a career high in strikeouts.
Mariners starter Emerson Hancock came into 2026 with one more chance to become a major league starter. The former first-round draft pick has pitched to a 4.81 ERA, 5.23 fielding independent pitching (FIP), 1.359 walks and hits per innings pitched (WHIP), and a 2.06 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He had particularly struggled with control even more than walks as such, with errant pitches forcing him to groove a strike or two and get punished in bad situations.
Mariners Turn Three Hits into Five Runs, Tie Opening Guardians Series
The Seattle Mariners still haven’t hit a single through the first two games of the season. That didn’t matter on Friday night.
Cleveland Guardians starter Gavin Williams may have spun good enough stuff to punch out seven Mariners, but he also walked six, and timely round-trippers from Cole Young and Luke Raley put the M’s far ahead of the visitors and brought the team to its first win of the year.
“Furious George” deals with early homer and puts together a quality start to begin his 2026.
Chase DeLauter’s prospect stock is about as high as can be right now. After mashing two home runs in his regular season debut on Opening Day, day two hurler George Kirby became the third Mariner to foolishly leave a pitch on the lower inside part of the plate, exactly where the 24-year-old rookie likes it.
Mariners Release Opening Day Roster; Crawford, Miller Notably Absent with Injury
With opening day right around the corner for the Seattle Mariners - at 7:10 p.m. Pacific on Thursday against the Guardians - the team has released its first 26-man roster for the 2026 season. The top of the depth chart, of course, is very much all over the M’s roster, from returning superstars in Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez to new additions like Brendan Donovan and Jose A. Ferrer.
But of course it is not all sunshine and roses for the defending AL West champions. Longtime shortstop J.P. Crawford is out for the beginning of the year with a shoulder injury while Bryce Miller is working through an injury of his own, leaving holes in the middle infield and the back of the rotation. Leo Rivas is going to get some playing time at short in the meantime (and perhaps Cole Young might swivel
Assessing Three March Mariner Concerns Ahead of 2026 Regular Season
If the Seattle Mariners started the 2026 regular season 6-16-1 (ignore the tie), things would probably be nearing panic mode in T-Mobile Park. But given that it’s Spring Training, the record isn’t all that concerning as Opening Day begins. But from injury concerns to slow starts for stars, there are some points of worry for the M’s as the season comes into view. Just how worrying are these signs, however? Is there any meaning to be derived from them?
Concern 1: Injury questions for players up and down the roster.
Concern level: 4/10
The most-discussed injury question for the upcoming season has been Bryce Miller, and it seems likely by this point that he won’t be ready to start the regular season. The Mariners have Emerson Hancock and Cooper Criswell both available to fill in the fifth starter role - and I personally expect they’ll start with Hancock, with Criswell in the tank if Hancock again struggles as a starter - but they at least have some good indications due to both players’ performance in Spring Training. That doesn’t necessarily mean much for the regular season, especially in the top-line stats such as ERA and FIP, but the M’s have to be impressed with Hancock’s feel for the ball.
Does Leo Rivas’ Spring Power Surge Portend Hidden Mariners Threat?
A 464-foot moonshot from Brennen Davis on Sunday afternoon may not have been all that surprising to those who have kept track of his spring superheater, but a 441-footer from the 5-7, 150-pound Leo Rivas - accounting for the other two of Seattle’s runs during the team’s 6-3 loss to the Brewers - probably turned a few heads in surprise.
If the Mariners’ 2026 season goes according to plan, they’re going to have situations like they did in the bottom of the seventh of Game 5 of the 2025 ALDS, when they need a pinch-hitter to come through in a winner-take-all playoff game.
That was when Leo Rivas shined, swatting a game-tying single in what ended up a 15-inning marathon memorably walked off by Jorge Polanco. Rivas, whose greatest strength that year was an ability to take a free pass (his 18% walk rate was the third best of anyone with 100 or more plate appearances last year, behind only Aaron Judge and Dylan Beavers), jumped on an 0-1 changeup out over the plate for the hard-sought hit.
Baseball’s Back: Five Notes from Mariners’ First Spring Training Action of 2026
With blue skies above and many excited fans all around in that picturesque Cactus League ballpark, the Seattle Mariners played their first game of 2026 Spring Training on Friday, Feb. 20. The first day of spring is perhaps the most hopeful time for all 30 teams in any given year, with a nearly clean slate injury-wise and the first harsh reality checks of the regular season still a month and change away.
A quite packed house of 9,956 spectators dotted the Peoria Sports Complex to see the Mariners and Padres both take to their home Spring ball yard. They saw prospects go up against powerhouses in exciting duels and yet also witnessed players trip over each other, lose cans of corn in the sun, and make Little League errors in base coverage. No one got hurt and the game doesn’t count, so both sides came away with a smile in a 7-4 win for Seattle. But what does the first preseason action of 2026 tell us about how things might go when real chips are down for the Mariners?
Michael Arroyo put on a good display at the dish, with a homer and double to power early Seattle production.
Seattle’s system has a fair amount of top-end hitting prospects, and although Colt Emerson and Lazaro Montes headline the system, the crown in Peoria bore witness to another of Seattle’s guys in the farm system. Michael Arroyo, who struggled a bit with his power after his promotion to Double-A in 2025 with a .255/.376/.341 slash line (though this was still a 121 OPS+ where 100 is league average) - and yet decreased his strikeout rate against better pitchers - went into Spring with the chance to show what exactly the Mariners have with him.
Decisions Behind Disaster: Managerial Tendencies Sunk Mariners in Game 7
Mariners manager Dan Wilson made a decision that will live in infamy during Game 7, and the mistake cost the M’s the season. That decision and others on Monday reflected long-visible managerial tendencies that Wilson will have to adjust come 2026.
‘All Hands on Deck’: Mariners Face Blue Jays in ALCS Game 7
For the very first time, the Mariners are playing in a Game 7, but it will be in hostile territory as Toronto looks to punch their own World Series ticket in their friendly confines. Do the M’s have what it takes to reach the Fall Classic?
Luis Castillo, Mariners Get Pulverized by Blue Jays 8-2 in Game 4, ALCS Tied at Two Games Apiece
It was another boat race for the Blue Jays on Thursday night, as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and co. once again put on a hitting clinic to knot the series at two games apiece. Why did the Mariners once again fall victim to Toronto’s aggressive swingers?
Rapid Reaction: Blue Jays Obliterate Mariners in Ugly 14-3 Game 3 Rout
It all went wrong for the Mariners on Wednesday night, with the Blue Jays putting up a baker’s dozen runs in a blowout in front of T-Mobile Park’s home fans. Why did Toronto’s bats wake up in Game 3, and what made the M’s response so lackluster?
Rapid Reaction: Mariners Stuff Blue Jays 10-3 in Statement Win on Canadian Thanksgiving
Despite some early uncertainty, the Mariners delivered a statement Game 2 win in Rogers Centre, tapping a variety of heroes as they return home with a big advantage for Game 3.
Three Massive Managerial Moments that Decided ALDS Game 5
Many of the memorable moments of ALDS Game 5 came from the players on the field, but some of the biggest keys of the game resulted from the battle of wits between A. J. Hinch and Dan Wilson. How did Wilson and the Mariners triumph on the managing front?
Final Thoughts: Mariners Found Long Path to Victory During Instant Classic Game 5
A 15-inning epic, a long-awaited return, an instant classic. The Mariners’ marathon win over the Detroit Tigers defied logic and expectations, but perhaps that was the only way such a victory could occur.
‘Everything’s Been Progressing’: Bryan Woo Closer to Form in Bullpen Session, Still Unclear for ALDS
Bryan Woo had a bullpen session and live game scenario on Thursday, after which the Mariners starter gave updates on his ongoing recovery from injury.
Kershaw Ends Career with Gem; Mariners Fall to Dodgers 6-1 in Regular Season Finale
The last game of the 2025 season has come and gone for the Seattle Mariners. The result may have mattered little, but there were curtain calls and standing ovations aplenty as legends old and new finished out their years.
Another September Slog, Another Mariner Win: Ford Sac Fly Walks Off 7-6 12-Inning Marathon
The Seattle Mariners had their second extra-inning slog in as many days, and once more, the bullpen put together a Herculean effort while the offense had more than its fair share of struggles. But baseball—especially in September—is akin to magic and fantasy, and Thursday’s game had a fairy-tale ending.
Watch: Leo Rivas Walks Off Cardinals in 13-Inning Slog, Mariners Take Fifth Straight
The Mariners won their fifth straight game on Wednesday, and it was a brutal battle that saw one aspect of their game pushed to their absolute limit while the team dragged its feet on the other side of the ball. How did they pull it off in extras to topple the Cardinals?
Woo Quality Start, Big Sixth Inning Combine to Propel Mariners to 4-2 Victory over Cardinals
It wasn’t as enormous as their duo of destructions in Atlanta, but the Mariners got the job done at home against the Cardinals on Monday—and there were some key moments that got the Mariners over the hump.
Takeaways: Sleeping Bats, Driftless Defense Send Mariners to 4-1 Loss to Braves
The Seattle Mariners dropped the 15th game of their last 21 contests on Friday, as their road problems continued and their third wild card spot became ever more precarious. What was going wrong this time, and what is the way forward?
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