The Seattle Mariners’ dream season came to an end on Monday night. They lost 4-3 to the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS). This meant that they would not be able to play in the World Series for the first time. Seattle was ahead in the series 2-0 and then 3-2. However, George Springer’s amazing three-run home run in the seventh inning changed the game and the series in Toronto’s favor.
For Mariners fans, the loss was a hard blow. The franchise is still the only Major League Baseball team that has never made it to the Fall Classic. This is a record they really wanted to break. After the loss, Cal Raleigh, Seattle’s MVP candidate and emotional leader, was clearly shaken. He said, “I love every guy in this room, but in the end, it’s not what we wanted.” “I don’t want to say failure, but it’s a failure.”
Julio Rodríguez said the same thing as Raleigh: “We worked so hard and put in so much effort this whole year, and now it’s over.” That’s part of the game as well. Fans all over Seattle felt the same way, with some calling the loss “inevitable heartbreak” after such an exciting postseason run.
Seattle had an amazing season, with its first appearance in the ALCS since 2001. Raleigh hit an MLB-high 60 home runs. Rodríguez, both of whom are signed through the end of the decade, were stars. Dan Wilson, the manager, said, “We all now know how close we can get and how good this team can be.” That’s what you want to get next year.
The pain of Game 7 will last, but people in the Pacific Northwest are still hopeful. Many people think that the Mariners’ dream of going to the World Series is only delayed, not denied. They have a young, talented core and the AL West is looking more and more beatable.
The end of Seattle’s 2025 season may not have been a party, but it showed that the long-awaited breakthrough could be closer than ever.
