Like Jay Buhner once said.....

"Forget the Wild Card. We are going to win the division."

Mariners/Twitter

The year was 1995 and the Seattle Mariners were in the midst of a 19 year playoff drought, one that had spanned the length of their entire existence in major league baseball. It was also the first year of the Wild Card, giving more hope to teams that didn’t win their division.

As the stretch run came all the talk in the city and around the Mariners became the Wild Card, and what it could mean for their playoff chances. They even hung up a sign updated daily at the Kingdome showing who was leading the race. After all, they were 12 1/2 games behind the California Angels on August 21.

One person wasn’t very thrilled with Seattle’s acceptance of second place. Outfielder Jay Buhner walked into the clubhouse and uttered the famous words….

“You know what? Forget the Wild Card. We’re going to win the division.”

1995 was one of the most magical and iconic seasons in Seattle sports history, saving the game of baseball in the city. On July 24, 2023, the Seattle Mariners found themselves toiling away at 50-50, 8.5 games out of first place.

Last night old friend Paul Sewald closed the door on a save against the Texas Rangers, shrinking their lead to just one game over Houston and Seattle. It’s starting to feel a lot like 1995.

It hasn’t been an easy road. For much of the first half of the season, the Mariners struggled, seemingly glued to the .500 mark. Despite their pitching excellence, the offense remained lifeless.

AJ Pollock, Kolten Wong, and other veteran hitters looked like shells of their former selves. Ty France and Eugenio Suárez were hit with regression. Julio Rodríguez and Teoscar Hernández struggled with swing and miss. J.P. Crawford felt like their only offense at times, not a good place to be for a team with World Series aspirations.

The bell of the ball was the Texas Rangers, even amongst rightfully jealous Mariners fans who dreamt of a higher payroll. It wasn’t clear if this team could recover, and this became even more doubtful as the trade deadline came and went.

Seattle only dealt away closer and bullpen heartbeat Paul Sewald for three fringe major leaguers, at least in terms of prior experience. The front office was vilified for not picking a direction, more specifically not giving this team more offensive support.

Since that controversial deadline move your Seattle Mariners are 17-4. Hernández and Rodríguez are the two hottest hitters in baseball. The island of misfit toys that is the Mariners bullpen has stabilized and thoroughly dominated.

Cade Marlowe has come out of nowhere to replace Jarred Kelenic and more. The deadline acquisitions of Canzone and Rojas have been brilliant, and seemingly only going to get better. The starting rotation is as dominant as any in baseball.

This team is different right now, and they have the whole baseball world on notice. Hell, they swept the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park.

36 games remain, and it is only going to get harder. After the finale with the White Sox, Seattle heads home to square off with the last-place Royals and Athletics. The Mets and Reds follow, before a slew of first-place teams and direct competitors.

They have clawed, scratched, and fought their way back. It’s almost like day one of the season, with a 36-game dead sprint to the finish line.

While the Mariners would love to win the division they know getting in the dance is the most important thing. Look at last year’s Phillies or the 2021 Atlanta Braves. Get to October and see what happens.

For now, let’s just continue to enjoy the ride. Two months ago none of us really could have seen this coming.

Watch out Texas, objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.