Here's the Extremely Unlikely Way in Which the Seattle Mariners Can Still Win the AL West
After beating the Houston Astros on Monday night, the Seattle Mariners have a 12.0 percent chance of making the playoffs, according to Fangraphs.
As part of that, the Ms have a 2.6 percent chance to win the American League West. It's obviously unlikely, but here's the way in which it can happen.
The Mariners need to sweep the Astros:
This one is a must for Seattle. Any win by the Astros in next two games wins them the division and relegates the Mariners to only hoping for the wild card. But even if the Mariners sweep the Astros, they will still be 2.0 games back with three games to play.
Then what happens?
The Mariners need to finish two games better than Houston to take advantage of the tiebreaker they own. The Mariners finish out the regular season with the A's while the Astros take on the playoff-bound Cleveland Guardians. If the M's sweep the A's, they would need the Guardians to take at least one-of-three from Houston. If the M's were to lose one against the A's, they would need a Guardians sweep.
Considering the Guardians are playing for the top spot in the American League playoff picture, they have something to play for in that series, which is good for the Mariners.
With tonight's win, the Mariners have opened up the very small possibility to win the West with a loss to the A's or the Astros winning 1/3 against the Guardians.
— Mariner Muse (@MarinerMuse) September 24, 2024
However, none of this matters without the M's continued success in the Lone Star State. The M's and Astros will play Game 2 of the series on Tuesday night at 5:10 p.m. PT.
Logan Gilbert will pitch for Seattle while Framber Valdez pitches for Houston.
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