The Mariners are the Best Team in Baseball in This Key Statistic

The M's are 31-26 on the season and in first place in the American League West, thanks in part to their work in this key facet of the game.

May 29, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford (3), right, celebrates with centerfielder Julio Rodriguez (44) and Ty France (23) after a game against the Houston Astros at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports

The Seattle Mariners beat the Houston Astros on Wednesday night, 2-1, in extra-innings, as they continue to excel in close games.

In fact, the M's now have the best record in all of baseball in one-run games.

Per @MarinersPR on social media:

The @Mariners improve to 11-4 (.733) in 1-run games this season, best 1-run record in @MLB.

Seattle also improves to 3-1 in extra innings this season.

The @Mariners improve to 11-4 (.733) in 1-run games this season, best 1-run record in @MLB.

Seattle also improves to 3-1 in extra innings this season.

— Mariners PR (@MarinersPR) May 30, 2024

Look, in a perfect world, the M's offense would be good enough to add on and score more runs, but that's not the nature of this team through 57 games. So, until the offense starts to give some separation, the pitching staff and defense will be relied upon to succeed in clutch and tense moments. While the bullpen group is not perfect, if they can just get the ball successfully to Andres Munoz, you have to feel good about their chances of pulling out a win. Munoz has 11 saves this season and has looked every bit like an All-Star in the early going.

The M's improvement in extra-innings has also been a welcome development in 2024, after they went 6-14 in extra frames a season ago. Sure, with the automatic runner rule in place, extra innings are somewhat fluky, but for a team that missed out on a playoff spot by 1.0 game in 2023, it was certainly an area that needed improvement. Thus far, the M's have found a way to better themselves there, also leading to some success in those one-run games.

The Mariners will play the Astros again on Thursday afternoon at 1:10 p.m. PT.

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