Seattle Mariners remain half-game back in wild-card race: What it means and why fans are so excited

The Seattle Mariners won 4-2 over the Oakland Athletics Wednesday night, keeping them just a half-game behind the Boston Red Sox and in the race for the American League wild-card spot. 

It's been 20 years since the Mariners have made the playoffs. They currently have the longest active playoff drought in Major League Baseball, but are hoping to change that as they head into their last games of the season at T-Mobile Park this weekend.

Here’s how it looks for the Seattle Mariners right now

The Mariners are a half-game behind the Boston Red Sox who are currently in the second American League wild-card spot. That’s extremely close. Should the Mariners win a game and the Red Sox lose, the Mariners will take the second spot. With only three games left for the Mariners and four for the Sox, the Emerald City and its fans are on pins and needles. This is the closest the Mariners have been to earning a playoff spot with five games or fewer to go since 2001. 

Who plays on Thursday? 

The Mariners have an off day on Thursday (Sept. 30) but the Red Sox play their last game in their series against the Baltimore Orioles.

It’s likely the Red Sox will win: Baltimore is in last place, not only in their division but also in the entire American League. If the Red Sox do win tonight, because Seattle doesn’t play, they’ll move to one game ahead of Seattle.

When using the term “games ahead,” the standings are determined by who wins and who loses. So if Boston wins, they gain half a game ahead of Seattle. To gain one whole game, Boston would have to win and Seattle would have to lose. Not playing is not the same as losing.

When do the Mariners play next?

It all comes down to the last three games this weekend. Seattle plays the Los Angeles Angels at home Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Mariners won their last three-game series against the Angels this past weekend when they played in L.A. With a home-field advantage and hopefully a roaring crowd, the Mariners should win their series if not sweep the Angels entirely.

When do the Red Sox play next?

The Red Sox play their last regular season games against the Washington Nationals this weekend. It’s great for Boston fans — they’re likely to win. The Nationals are third from the bottom in the National League division, with a record of 65 wins and 94 losses. For comparison, Boston’s record is 89 wins and 69 losses. Because the Sox are in the American League and the Nationals are in the National League, these two teams haven’t faced each other this season. It’s hard to predict that Boston will lose.

How are playoff teams determined? 

Major League Baseball is broken down into two leagues: American and National. From there, each league is further broken down into divisions: East, Central and West. The Mariners are in the American League West division.

To reach the playoffs, teams in each league need to be either the number one seed in their division or earn a wild-card spot. The two teams from each league with the best record outside of the division will earn a wild-card spot. These two teams will play each other in a one-game playoff, an American League Wild Card and a National League Wild Card game.

Once a team has secured a wild-card spot and wins their Wild Card Game, that team goes on to play the number one seed in their division. For example, should the Mariners make it to the American League Wild Card game, they would play the New York Yankees (who are comfortably remaining in the first wild-card spot). Should they beat the Yankees and win the ALWC game, they would then play the Houston Astros, who are currently in first place in the American League West Division.

From there, the playoffs continue as expected. The wild-card champ will play in the Divison Series, which includes three other teams: the number one seeds from the East, Central and West divisions. The two winning teams from the Division Series will go on the play each other in the Championship Series. The two teams who win their league’s respective Championship Series will play each other in the World Series.

Where do the other divisions stand right now?

Right now, the Tampa Bay Rays have clinched their playoff spot in the American League East. The Chicago White Sox have also done the same in the Central Division, and the Houston Astros lead the West. In the National League, the San Francisco Giants dominate the West Division with a record-breaking winning season, with the Atlanta Braves leading in the East and the Central Division going to the Milwaukee Brewers.

While Boston and Seattle duke it out for the second wild-card spot, the Yankees are virtually guaranteed the first in the American League. In the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers are an impressive 14 games ahead, taking the top wild-card spot with the St. Louis Cardinals clinching second.

The Seattle Mariners haven’t seen a game past 162 since 2001 when the roster included Edgar Martinez and Ichiro Suzuki. That year, the Mariners tied the all-time record for the winningest season, reaching the same 116 wins as the 1906 Chicago Cubs team. The record hasn’t been topped since. The Mariners, being in first place in the division, went straight to the American League Division Series, and won. They eventually fell to the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series, who went on to lose the World Series to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

How to get Mariners tickets this weekend

The Mariners kick off their final — and vital — homestand of the season on Friday with Fan Appreciation Weekend. Oktoberfest also falls into the mix on Saturday, with special tickets that include a seat, commemorative stein and free drink.

As of Thursday afternoon, sales for the three games against the Los Angeles Angels are at or near 30,000 tickets for each game. T-Mobile Park’s capacity is 47,000.

Tickets for all remaining games are available at Mariners.com/tickets, at Mariners Team Stores and the T-Mobile Park box office, which opens two-and-a-half hours before first pitch