The Seattle Mariners did not play on Monday, but they still managed to gain ground in the race for the American League playoffs, thanks to a former WSU Cougars hitter.
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The M’s are a half-game closer to Minnesota for the AL’s third and final postseason wild card after the Twins blew a one-run lead in the eighth inning against the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians on Monday night.
The big swing came from rookie Kyle Manzardo, who caught a 97-mile-per-hour fastball from standout Twins relief pitcher Griffin Jax and hit a 407-foot, two-run home run that gave Cleveland a final 4-3 lead.
A native of Couer d’Alene, Idaho, Manzardo, 24, had a standout college career at WSU, including a junior season in 2021 in which he hit .366/.437/.640 for a 1.076 OPS with 11 home runs and 60 RBIs in 47 games. He was selected by Tampa Bay in the second round of the MLB Draft that same year and then was the centerpiece of the Guardians’ return in a trade last year that sent veteran pitcher Aaron Civale to the Rays.
Monday’s home run was Manzardo’s third in the major leagues, the first two coming on September 1.
“I’m so happy for him,” said Guardians manager Stephen Vogt, who was part of the Mariners’ coaching staff last season, after Cleveland’s win on Monday.
Vogt was overwhelmed with emotion as he spoke about Manzardo’s moment after the game.
“Everyone who wanted to play baseball as a kid dreamed of this moment happening,” he said. “The smile on his face when he looked back at our dugout was unbelievable.”
And what about Manzardo?
“I was floating a little bit,” he said of circling the bases after the home run. “Honestly, I don’t remember everything.”
Latest news on the Mariners playoffs
So let’s see what this means for the Mariners.
MLB Division Table | Wildcard ranking
Seattle has a 77-73 record heading into a big three-game home series that begins at 6:40 p.m. Tuesday against the AL East-leading New York Yankees, and the M’s are now just two games behind the Twins (79-71) in the race. Between those two teams, however, are the Detroit Tigers (78-73), who are just 1 1/2 games behind Minnesota for the final wild card after their win over the Kansas City Royals on Monday.
The mountain the Mariners are trying to climb is a little tougher than it looks at first glance. Both Minnesota and Detroit won their season series against Seattle, giving the Twins and Tigers the tiebreaker advantage should they finish the season with the same score. That means the Mariners are essentially 2 1/2 games behind the Twins and one behind Detroit.
The wild card isn’t the Mariners’ only path to the playoffs. They’re also still in the race for the AL West, where the Houston Astros (81-69) lead Seattle by four games. The M’s also narrowed that gap on Monday when the Astros fell to the San Diego Padres 3-1. Although the Mariners have just 12 games left in the regular season, that includes a series in Houston (Sept. 23-25) where Seattle has a chance to move three games up with a sweep.
As of Tuesday morning, Fangraphs puts the Mariners’ playoff chances at 10.9%, their wildcard chance at 5.6%, and their chance of overtaking the Astros in the AL West at 5.4%.
What happens next?
Mariners Radio Network broadcasts on Seattle Sports 710 AM, the Seattle Sports App and SeattleSports.com
• Tuesday – Mariners vs. Yankees (pregame 5:30 p.m., first pitch 6:40 p.m.)
• Wednesday – Mariners vs. Yankees (pregame 5:30 p.m., first pitch 6:40 p.m.)
• Thursday – Mariners vs. Yankees (game preparation 12:00 p.m., first pitch 1:10 p.m.)
• Friday – Mariners at Rangers (pregame 4:00 p.m., first pitch 5:05 p.m.)
• Saturday – Mariners at Rangers (pregame 3:00 p.m., first pitch 4:05 p.m.)
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