For the Seattle Mariners, the quest for their first World Series appearance continues.
After coming within a single game of making franchise history, the Mariners fell heartbreakingly short on Monday, losing 4-3 to the Toronto Blue Jays. The defeat was devastating, not just for the team but for a fanbase that has waited decades to see Seattle reach the Fall Classic. With the loss, the Mariners’ notorious record as the only Major League Baseball team never to play in a World Series remains painfully intact.
The emotional toll on the players was immediately evident. MVP candidate Cal Raleigh was visibly shaken, brought to tears in the moments following the final out. “I love every guy in this room, but ultimately, it’s not what we wanted,” Raleigh admitted to reporters. “I hate to use the word failure, but it’s a failure. That’s what we expected: to get to the World Series and win a World Series. That’s the bar and the standard we hold ourselves accountable to – but it hurts.”
Raleigh was far from alone in his disappointment. Center fielder Julio Rodríguez, a key figure in Seattle’s lineup, echoed the sentiment. “We’ve put in so much work and effort through this whole year, and it’s over,” Rodríguez said. “That’s also part of the game too.” Both players, crucial pieces of the Mariners’ future, are locked into long-term contracts – Raleigh with a reported six-year, $105 million extension signed in March, and Rodríguez secured through 2029 – ensuring that the core of the team remains intact as the club looks ahead.
Seattle’s heartbreak was compounded by the historical rarity of their playoff situation. They became just the fourth team in MLB history to hold a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven postseason series and still fail to advance. The sting of falling one game short of the World Series will linger, but the ambition that drove the Mariners all season remains very much alive.
“All of us now have had a taste of how close we can get and how good this team can be,” said manager Dan Wilson. “Once you get that, that’s what you’re shooting for the next year, and I know that will continue to be the goal … to get to that final step. This year, we were one game short.”
Even in defeat, the Mariners have demonstrated that they are a team on the rise. With a young, talented core and lessons learned from this heartbreak, Seattle’s drive for that elusive first World Series appearance will only intensify in the seasons ahead.
