Yes, This Mariners Series Win Against the Houston Astros Meant More

The Seattle Mariners just took three of four from the Houston Astros. Was that a case of just beating a bad team? Or was it a case of exercising some demons? I'll go with the latter.

May 28, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Luis Castillo (58) throws against the Houston Astros during the first inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

The Seattle Mariners just took three of four from the Houston Astros this week at T-Mobile Park. With the wins, the M's are now 31-27 on the year and have a 5.5 game distance between them and the Astros in the American League West (with the Rangers in-between).

I've been wrestling with the following question in the wake of the series win: Was this just the case of a Mariners team beating a bad (25-32) Astros team, and this is just what you do to bad teams, or was it the case of the M's exercising some demons?

I'll go with the latter.

I understand that these Houston Astros are not those Houston Astros, at least right now, but they are still ballplayers wearing Houston Astros uniforms. And the Mariners have struggled to beat any players wearing Astros uniforms with any kind of consistency since the Astros entered the American League West in 2013.

Year	Record vs. Astros
2013	10-9
2014	10-9
2015	7-12
2016	8-11
2017	5-14
2018	10-9
2019	1-18
2020	3-7
2021	8-11
2022	7-12
2023	9-4
2024 (current)	5-2

Even with the success of 2023 and thus far this year, the Mariners are THIRTY-FIVE games under .500 against the Astros since 2013. It doesn't matter who has played on either side, the Astros have consistently dominated, so yes, beating guys in those jerseys absolutely matters. It matters to fans, and it should matter to the players as well.

Over the last seven years, the Astros have been to the ALCS seven times and won two World Series titles. The Mariners have been to the playoffs just once - and the Astros eliminated them.

In this series, the Mariners didn't allow Yordan Alvarez to homer, didn't allow Ryan Pressly to shut them down, didn't allow Jose Altuve to run all over them, and won a game that was started by Justin Verlander - all things that have proven very difficult whenever these teams get together.

Again, I understand that the Astros right now are not the Astros of old, but those little victories matter, and these big victories matter. It's not just "expected" against the Astros, because it's never "expected" against the Astros.

This series doesn't erase previous failure, but it does alleviate some stress and heartache for fans, and it does give the hope of success in the future.

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