Seattle Mariners Own Biggest Division Lead Since 2001 After Sweeping Rangers

After sweeping the Texas Rangers on Sunday, the Seattle Mariners now have their biggest lead in the American League West in the last 23 years of team history.

Seattle Mariners third baseman Josh Rojas (4) slides to score a run on a wild pitch by Texas Rangers starting pitcher Dane Dunning (33) during the fifth inning at T-Mobile Park on June 17. / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

After sweeping the Texas Rangers on Sunday afternoon, the Seattle Mariners now have their biggest American League West lead in the last 23 years of team history.

Per @MarinersPR on social media:

The @Mariners are:
16-5 since May 26 (best in @MLB)
23-6 at home since April 15 (best in AL)
A season-high 12 games above .500

Seattle's 8.5-game lead in the AL West marks its largest lead since the end of the 2001 season.

The @Mariners are:
🔹 16-5 since May 26 (best in @MLB)
🔹 23-6 at home since April 15 (best in AL)
🔹 A season-high 12 games above .500

Seattle's 8.5-game lead in the AL West marks its largest lead since the end of the 2001 season.

— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) June 16, 2024

The M's are now 43-31 and while they are an imperfect group, complete with offensive question marks and mid-bullpen issues, they are absolutely a threat to win the first World Series in franchise history. They've done a good job of capitalizing on the injury woes of both the Rangers and Astros to put themselves in this position and now need to find a way to keep the momentum building.

In that win on Sunday, the M's got an RBI double from Luke Raley, a homer from Tyler Locklear and an RBI single from Dom Canzone, in addition to scoring a few runs on some wild pitches.

Seattle will be off on Monday before heading to Cleveland for a challenging series against the American League-Central leading Guardians.

First pitch on Tuesday will be at 3:40 p.m. PT. Bryce Miller gets the ball on the mound for the Mariners while Tristan McKenzie pitches for the Guardians. Miller is 5-5 with a 3.48 ERA on the season while McKenzie is 3-3 with a 4.10 ERA.

Cleveland is 44-25 on the year and is seeking to get back to the playoffs after a year off in 2023, just like the Mariners.

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