Seattle Mariners Continue to Show Emotion Amid Winning Streak, Serious Playoff Push

The Mariners are just 2.5 games out of the third AL Wild Card spot after sweeping the Angels and improving to 10-2 since July 25.

The Seattle Mariners were on the verge of falling completely out of the playoff picture earlier this summer, but they've picked up more than enough steam to remain in the race in August.

Back on June 30, the Mariners were 38-42 – 10.0 games out of first place in the AL West and 6.0 games back of the third AL Wild Card spot. There were four teams between the Mariners and that final Wild Card spot, and FanGraphs gave them the 21st best odds to make the playoffs at 10.3%.

Just over five weeks later, Seattle is in quite the different position.

The Mariners are tied for the best record in baseball since July 1, going 22-10 over their last 32 games. After completing a four-game road sweep over the Los Angeles Angels over the weekend, Seattle has won five in a row and 10 of its last 12.

And by the looks of it, the Mariners sure are enjoying their recent hot streak.

As pointed out by Mariner Muse on Twitter, the players have been letting out plenty of emotion after the last few win-clinching final outs. Seattle's last 16 games have been decided by an average of 1.9 runs, meaning most of these contests have come down to the final inning.

Reliever Andrés Muñoz, catcher Cal Raleigh, catcher Tom Murphy and reliever Tayler Saucedo were all seen fist-pumping, flexing and yelling when the Mariners' wins over the Angels went final. Team-wide celebrations have also become commonplace for the red-hot club.

Given how important those victories are to Seattle's chances of making the postseason for the second year in a row, it's easy to imagine those reactions would be even grander if the games had been up at T-Mobile Park rather than Angel Stadium. 

Here are the final outs of the last 3 games. Notice anything in common?

These guys are PUMPED pic.twitter.com/lrHZvdJqm5

— Mariner Muse (@MarinerMuse) August 7, 2023

All of this is going down despite the Mariners being borderline sellers at the MLB trade deadline. The front office sent closer Paul Sewald and outfielder AJ Pollock out of town in exchange for struggling utility men, prospects and players to be named later, in addition to designated veteran infielder Kolten Wong for assignment.

Seattle has still managed almost tripled its playoff odds over the past month, however, improving them to 28.3%, per FanGraphs. Although the Mariners are still 2.5 games out of the current playoff picture, they are fourth in the race for the three AL Wild Card spots.

The Mariners also have the fifth-easiest remaining strength of schedule in baseball, which is the best among the seven semi-legitimate AL Wild Card contenders.

After taking Monday off, Seattle will try to keep the ball rolling against the San Diego Padres back at home Tuesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 9:40 p.m. ET.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by LIKING us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also subscribe to "The Payoff Pitch" podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.