Top 5 Home and Road Series on Mariners’ 2026 Schedule
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General view of T-Mobile Park during the national anthem before an Opening Day game between the Cleveland Guardians and Seattle Mariners. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images [/caption]
The 2026 baseball season is upon us. The Seattle Mariners kick off the slate by welcoming the Cleveland Guardians to Seattle, starting Thursday. Opening Day is always a special time as the saying goes, “hope springs eternal.” For the Mariners, that’s especially true. It’s not very often that the Mariners open a season with the thought process of “World Series or bust.”
With that in mind, the Mariners will certainly clash with the best of the best MLB has to offer as they hope to be considered in that group themselves. Let’s take a look at the marquee series of the 2026 schedule, including the top five series at T-Mobile Park as well as the top five series on the road.
The top series could mean a combination of playing the best teams in the league but also key promotions or events surrounding that series.
Road
June 5-7 @ Detroit Tigers
The Mariners and Tigers had an AL Division Series for the ages last October. That series went to a Game 5, with Seattle having to face AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal twice in the series. Game 5 itself was one of the single greatest baseball games in Mariners history. The Mariners chased Skubal after six innings, with him allowing just one run. Thankfully, Mariners starter George Kirby also held the Tigers in check. The Mariners tied the game in the bottom of the seventh. And then the two teams went scoreless for the next seven innings in a row, until the 15th. After each team squandered several chances in extra innings to take the lead or win it, the Mariners got the bases loaded. Jorge Polanco lined a single on a full count into right field, sending the Mariners to the ALCS for the first time since 2001. It was truly one of the single best baseball game in many years.
This series in Detroit will be the first time these two talented teams will have faced off since that fateful, extra-inning thriller.
July 28-30 @ Los Angeles Dodgers
Anytime you get a crack at the defending World Series champions, it’s worth circling on the calendar. This one has a little extra juice because, as Mariners fans painfully remember, Seattle was basically one inning away from this being the 2025 World Series matchup.
Seattle travels to Dodger Stadium to take on the two-time defending champions and their pack of superstars. This will be a great mid-summer measuring stick for the Mariners to see if they’re ready to compete for a World Series. Last year, the Mariners dropped all three to L.A. This will likely be a series the national media has its eye on.
August 11-13 @ New York Yankees
Let’s be real, it’s always noteworthy when you favorite team travels to Yankee Stadium. This year, the Yankees are looking to compete for an AL pennant just like the Mariners are. This will be yet another good measuring stick for Seattle. This will be well into the season and it will be fairly obvious by then where both teams stand in the American League pecking order.
August 28-30 @ Toronto Blue Jays
This series is self-explanatory. While the two teams will meet up earlier than this in Seattle, there is certainly some scar tissue for the Mariners traveling north of the border. If the Mariners had a rival outside of the AL West division, it’s the Blue Jays. There is no unseeing what happened in last year’s AL Championship Series. The Mariners had a 3-2 series lead heading back to Toronto, needing to just win one of those games. They didn’t. The Mariners even led 3-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning in Game 7, needing just a few more innings from the bullpen to seal an AL pennant. Instead, George Springer hit a go-ahead, three-run homer for Toronto off of Eduard Bazardo. The Blue Jays went on to win the series and advanced to the World Series, eventually pushing the mighty Dodgers to a Game 7 as well.
It’s the ultimate “what could’ve been” for Seattle. Even if they sweep this series in Toronto, it will not take away the sting of last year’s bitter disappointment. These two teams may be destined to lock horns again in October.
August 31-September 2 @ Boston Red Sox
September’s road schedule is not exactly a gauntlet. The Mariners travel to play the Athletics, Angels, and Rockies. However, the road trip before that has them heading to Fenway Park smack in the middle of the postseason race entering September. Boston is looking to build on last year’s success with talent all over the field.
This is likely the Mariners’ last road series against a team that will be contending for a spot in the AL playoffs along with them.
Home
March 30 – April 1 vs. New York Yankees
Yes, the Cleveland Guardians come to town to open the season, but the Yankees coming to town right after is something fans will highlight on the calendar. While the Guardians look to be contenders as well, the Yankees are likely a different beast. Two-time reigning MVP Aaron Judge comes to town looking to make it three straight and four out of five. That’s a reign of dominance not seen since the likes of Barry Bonds. This is a great early season test for the Mariners and their vaunted pitching staff. Plus, despite being during the week, it will be an electric atmosphere, with plenty of Yankees fans likely adding to the boisterous Seattle crowd for those three games.
May 1-3 vs. Kansas City Royals
This certainly can be from the angle of the Royals being a talented team wanting a playoff run, like the Mariners. However, this weekend is bigger than just Mariners vs. Royals. It’s Randy Johnson Weekend. The Hall of Fame lefty pitcher will have his No. 51 retired by the Mariners, becoming the fourth Mariners player to receive the honor (with Ichiro also having No. 51 retired).
Saturday, May 2, will be the ceremony. However, the Friday night game might be just as popular, with the limited giveaway of Randy Johnson’s 80s throwback jersey. The nostalgia will be palpable as Seattle honors one of the best pitchers to ever put on a Mariners uniform.
May 15-17 vs. San Diego Padres
Yes, the vaunted “Vedder Cup” returns in 2026. Given that it’s a weekend series, it also comes with two days of giveaways. Friday is “Hello Kitty Clear Crossbody Bag Night” and Saturday is “Salute to Armed Forces Night - Military Cap Giveaway” day. Plus, the Padres bring their own gravitas with players like Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. Like the Mariners, the Padres have pennant hopes of their own. Additionally, they want revenge for the Mariners dominating the “Vedder Cup” series last year five games to one.
July 3-5 vs. Toronto Blue Jays
As if there wasn’t any more motivation to get to the ballpark for this weekend against a rival, it’s also Independence Day weekend. Indeed, if the Blue Jays and Mariners weren’t rivals before 2025, they are now. As mentioned in the section regarding these two teams playing in Toronto, there is no love lost here, especially among the two fanbases. Plus, you get “Fireworks Night” and “Patriotic Bucket Hat Giveaway” promotions, to boot.
Given that these two played an epic ALCS down to the last out of Game 7, plus the natural rivalry of Seattle being close to the Canadian border, along with the holiday weekend, this might be the heaviest-attended series of the entire season in Seattle.
September 22-27 vs. Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels
Allow me to cheat just a bit as I put down the final homestand of the regular season. Two games against Houston before the Angels come in for four games to finish the season could be a critical stretch of games. First, the Astros no doubt feel like they are still contenders in the AL West. Perhaps the division will still be in doubt during this final week of games. This is a great opportunity for the Mariners to put the division to bed, if that’s the situation against two division rivals. Hopefully, this is the final stretch of games before a deep postseason run.
