Tag / Mariners

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All Time Playoff Team Records

We’ve made it through 162 games and, for the first time since 2020, both the White Sox and the Cubs are in the post-season.  After faltering down the stretch, however, both teams open up on the road in the Wild Card series, with the White Sox headed to Houston to face the Astros, their foe in the 2021 ALDS, while the Cubs go west to San Diego in a rematch of last year’s series against the Padres.

It’s time to take an updated look at the team records for the now 35 playoff contests I have attended. These contests come from the 2018 Wild Card game, the ALDS in 2000, 2005, 2008, and 2021, the NLDS in 2003, 2007, 2008, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2025, the NLCS in 2003, 2015, 2016, and 2017, the ALCS in 2005, and, of course, the 2005 and 2016 World Series.

Post-Season Team Records

Team Name Won Loss Winning Pctg
Florida Marlins 3 0 1.000
Seattle Mariners 2 0 1.000
New York Mets 2 0 1.000
Colorado Rockies 1 0 1.000
Arizona Diamondbacks 1 0 1.000
Chicago White Sox 6 5 0.545
Los Angeles Dodgers 3 3 0.500
Atlanta Braves 1 1 0.500
Cleveland Indians 1 1 0.500
Los Angeles Angels 1 1 0.500
Washington Nationals 1 1 0.500
Tampa Bay Rays 1 1 0.500
Chicago Cubs 11 13 0.458
Houston Astros 1 2 0.333
Milwaukee Brewers 0 2 0.000
San Francisco Giants 0 2 0.000
St. Louis Cardinals 0 1 0.000
Boston Red Sox 0 2 0.000
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Bolstering The Rotation

After a month of July where only two White Sox starters managed to complete six full innings, Chris Getz pulled off a move that will hopefully bolster the rotation while improving the bullpen, both through less work and by subtraction.  The White Sox acquired right-handed starter Luis Castillo from the Mariners in exchange for reliever Seranthony Domínguez, catching prospect Boston Smith, and outfielder Nolan Jones.  Castillo, 33, is signed through 2027 for $22.75 million with a vesting option for $25 million in 2028.  A three-time All-Star, Castillo has struggled this year, with a career-worst 5.06 ERA.

Dominguez, signed this off-season, has struggled, but has been better as of late in low leverage situations.  Smith, 23, was acquired from the Nationals this spring and has slashed a combined .291/.448/.589 with 22 home runs across three minor league levels this season.  Jones, 28, was acquired from the Guardians in June and is basically organization filler at this point.

With the acquisition, Castillo will move into the rotation with Erick Fedde moving to the bullpen.  Hopefully the two will take pressure off of the rest of the bullpen innings-wise and Castillo’s post-season experience will benefit the entire team come October.

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Looking Ahead To 2027

Returning to their traditional day after the All-Star Game release, Major League Baseball released their tentative 2027 earlier this week, one which hopefully will not be impacted by a prolonged work stoppage.  For the fifth year in a row, MLB is keeping with a balanced schedule, playing 52 games against division opponents, 64 games against non-division opponents in the same league, and 46 interleague games, with series against every team in the opposite league.  With both Chicago teams heading into the second half in line for a postseason appearance for the first time since 2008 and the All-Star Game coming to Wrigley Field in July, the 2027 season looks like it could be an interesting one on both sides of town.  So, for one day, at least, let’s turn our attention to next summer for both teams.

The White Sox open their season on the road in the Midwest on March 25, scheduled to be the earliest North American start in league history, facing the Tigers followed by a series against the Royals.  They open up their home schedule against the Brewers on April 1.

Aside from the Brewers, the interleague schedule sees the White Sox staying home to face the Marlins, Phillies, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, and Padres, while travelling to see the Pirates, Reds, Dodgers, Braves, Mets, Rockies, and Nationals.  The rivalry with their north side foes continues with a three-game weekend series at Wrigley Field coming out of the All-Star break in mid-July followed by three games at Rate Field the first weekend of August.

The White Sox wrap up the 2027 season in September at home, with a final series against the Tigers before ending the year with three against the Padres.

On the north side, the Cubs kick off their season at home against the Guardians and Cardinals before heading out on the road in early April.  Aside from the Guardians, the Cubs will host the Mariners, Orioles, Red Sox, and Royals while travelling to battle the Angels, Twins, A’s, Yankees, Blue Jays, and Tigers.

The Cubs open September with eleven straight against their NL Central rivals, but finish the month, and the season, on the road to face the Phillies and the Mets.

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2026 All Star Break Standings

As we reach the metaphorical, if not quite exact, midpoint of the 2026 baseball season, the Midsummer Classic lands in Philadelphia for the fifth time in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  If you would have told me back in April that not only would the White Sox head into the break with a winning record, but they would be tied for first place in the AL Central and that both Chicago teams are in position for a post-season appearance for the first time since 2008, I would have called you a crazy person.  Yet here we are.

As the stars of the baseball world gather at Citizens Bank Park for tonight’s showdown, it’s time to take a look at the team records for the 24 games, featuring 50% of the teams in the league, that I attended in the first half of the baseball season.

2026 Team Records

Team Name Won Loss Winning Pctg
Washington Nationals 2 0 1.000
Milwaukee Brewers 2 0 1.000
Los Angeles Dodgers 1 0 1.000
Chicago White Sox 10 6 0.625
Chicago Cubs 6 5 0.545
Seattle Mariners 1 1 0.500
Kansas City Royals 1 1 0.500
Sacramento Athletics 1 2 0.333
San Diego Padres 0 1 0.000
New York Mets 0 1 0.000
Minnesota Twins 0 1 0.000
Los Angeles Angels 0 1 0.000
Detroit Tigers 0 1 0.000
Arizona Diamondbacks 0 1 0.000
Toronto Blue Jays 0 3 0.000
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The First Time

Previously, we’ve looked at the most recent time I’ve seen each of the 30 major league baseball teams play.  Three weeks into the 2026 season, I thought it would be worth going into the wayback machine and see when the first time was that I saw each team live and in person, to the best of my knowledge.  My records only go back to 1984, so anything before that is as yet unidentified.

Breaking it down by decade, we have twelve teams I saw originally during the 80s, eleven in the 90s, and the remaining seven came in the 2000s.  For franchises that have moved, I have lumped them all together.

Earliest Game

Team Name Year
Texas Rangers 8/14/1984
Chicago White Sox 8/14/1984
Toronto Blue Jays 8/30/1984
Boston Red Sox 4/19/1985
San Diego Padres 7/8/1985
Chicago Cubs 7/8/1985
Baltimore Orioles 7/26/1985
New York Mets 8/4/1985
Kansas City Royals 8/20/1985
Cleveland Indians/Guardians 7/16/1987
Seattle Mariners 9/18/1987
California/Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels 7/28/1988
Detroit Tigers 4/20/1991
Milwaukee Brewers 7/18/1993
Pittsburgh Pirates 8/2/1993
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All Time Team Records

After a long winter, the 2026 baseball season got underway yesterday.  To celebrate, it is time once again to look at the all-time team records for games that I have identified as having attended dating back to 1984.  Last year, I posted my thirteenth highest total, an increase of twelve games from the year before, and managed to see 21 out of the 30 teams, so there should be some nice changes.

The White Sox are coming off their third-straight 100 loss season and are hoping to avoid adding a fourth this year.  On the other side of town, the Cubs made it back into playoff contention last year and are hoping to move beyond the NLDS this year.  The 2026 season may look completely different on each side of town.

All-Time Team Records

Team Name Won Loss Winning Pctg
California Angels 2 0 1.000
Arizona Diamondbacks 17 4 0.810
Florida Marlins 15 8 0.652
Cleveland Guardians 7 4 0.636
Toronto Blue Jays 20 12 0.625
New York Yankees 20 13 0.606
Philadelphia Phillies 13 10 0.565
Boston Red Sox 22 17 0.564
Colorado Rockies 11 9 0.550
Los Angeles Angels 20 17 0.541
Washington Nationals 7 6 0.538
Detroit Tigers 35 30 0.538
Cleveland Indians 31 27 0.534
Chicago Cubs 246 217 0.531
Houston Astros 27 25 0.519
Chicago White Sox 387 378 0.506
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2026 Predictions

With the Yankees and Giants on track to open the 2026 season tonight on Netflix and the rest of the league scheduled to follow suit tomorrow, it is time, for the 16th consecutive year, to look into my crystal ball and make my picks for the division, league, and major award winners for the upcoming season.

American League

East: Blue Jays

Central: Tigers

West: Mariners

Wild Cards: Yankees, Red Sox, Astros

AL Champion: Tigers

Cy Young: Tarik Skubal

MVP: Julio Rodriguez

National League

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Mariners All Time Leaders – Through 2025

marinersTo paraphrase from a famous movie, the one constant through all the years has been baseball.  As we head into 2026, we continue our look at the all-time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. Today, we take a deeper dive into the Seattle Mariners.

The Mariners began life in 1977, joining the American League along with the Toronto Blue Jays to settle a lawsuit over the Pilots move to Milwaukee.  I’ve seen 306 players wearing the Mariners uniform during the 46 games I’ve attended live, including the final night game at the original Comiskey Park, the first two games of their sweep of the White Sox in the 2000 ALDS, and a visit to T-Mobile Park in 2023.

Home Runs

Name Total
Kyle Seager 6
Franklin Gutierrez 3
Richie Sexson 3
Cal Raleigh 3

Hits

Name Total
Ichiro Suzuki 19
Kyle Seager 18
Michael Saunders 12

Runs

Name Total
Ichiro Suzuki 8
Raul Ibanez 6
Kyle Seager 6
Mitch Haniger 6
J.P. Crawford 6

RBI

Name Total
Kyle Seager 11
Mike Cameron 8
Alvin Davis 7
Mitch Haniger 7
Cal Raleigh 7

Doubles

Name Total
Michael Saunders 3
Mitch Haniger 3
9 tied with 2

Triples Continue reading →

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Blue Jays All Time Leaders – Through 2025

jaysnewTo paraphrase from a famous movie, the one constant through all the years has been baseball.  With the hot stove in full swing, we continue our look at the all-time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams.  We continue today with the defending AL Champion Toronto Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays began life in 1977, joining the American League along with the Mariners.   I’ve seen 199 players wearing a Blue Jays uniform in the 32 of their games that I’ve attended live, including a 2015 visit to their home stadium in the country of Canada.

Home Runs

Name Total
Edwin Encarnacion 2
Josh Donaldson 2
Danny Jansen 2
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 2
Whit Merrifield 2

Hits

Name Total
Vernon Wells 16
Edwin Encarnacion 11
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 10
Bo Bichette 10

Runs

Name Total
Vernon Wells 7
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 7
Bo Bichette 6

RBI

Name Total
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 9
Edwin Encarnacion 8
Jose Bautista 8

Doubles

Name Total
Vernon Wells 6
Jose Bautista 4
Lyle Overbay 3
Adam Lind 3
Justin Smoak 3

Triples Continue reading →

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2025 BBWAA Award Predictions

The Baseball Writers of America have announced the finalists for their awards for the recently completed baseball season, which will be announced next week.  It is a good bet that few of my original predictions for the winners will be accurate.  Hopefully, these new predictions will be slightly better, especially since I’ll have a 33% chance of being right.

American League

Most Valuable Player: Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, Jose Ramirez

Judge has won this award two of the last three seasons and his performance in 2025, when healthy, would ordinarily merit a third, but I have to believe Cal Raleigh, who became just the seventh player to reach the 60-home run mark and the first to do so while catching over 1000 innings, will bring home the award.

Cy Young Award: Hunter Brown, Garrett Crochet, Tarik Skubal

With all due respect to Brown, this is a two-way race.  Skubal seemed the obvious choice through much of the season, and I am guessing he will win, but Crochet probably made it much closer down the stretch.

Manager of the Year: John Schneider, Stephen Vogt, Dan Wilson

As usual, I didn’t make any predictions for this award prior to the season.  Schneider would be the obvious choice if voting were done today, after leading the Blue Jays within inches of a title.  Dan Wilson should also get some support for finally pushing the Mariners past the Astros.  But, if I had to guess, I would say Stephen Vogt will win, after the Guardians came out of nowhere to pass the Tigers for the AL Central crown after losing Emmanuel Clase to a gambling scandal mid-year.

Rookie of the Year: Roman Anthony, Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson

Another award I didn’t predict prior to the season.  Kurtz should run away and hide with this award after knocking 36 home runs with an OPS+ of 173.

National League

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