With first full losing season since 2019, Mariners wonder what could have been

ANAHEIM -- There wasn't much to say in the visitors' clubhouse after Tuesday's 2-1 loss at Angel Stadium. The defeat sealed the Mariners' first full losing season since 2019, as a campaign that never quite matched the standard set last fall nears an end.

Coming off a 2025 American League West title, a 90-72 record and an ALCS run that put them within a single win of the World Series, the Mariners came into the spring expecting to contend. Instead, Tuesday’s loss marked their 82nd of the year, guaranteeing their first losing record in a 162-game season since finishing 68-94 in 2019 (they went 27-33 in the shortened 2020 season).

For manager Dan Wilson, the mood inside the room was straightforward.

“It’s difficult, it’s frustrating, all those things," Wilson said. "And it’s never a good mark to be at, and that’s not one that we expected to be at. So yeah, it’s frustrating. It’s just tough to be there at this point.”

Looking back to February, when the club gathered in Arizona with championship aspirations, the stark contrast between then and now remains difficult to process.

"No … that wasn't the expectation," Wilson added when asked if he could have envisioned this outcome in Spring Training. "That's not what any of us thought. And that's, I think, why it's difficult and it's as frustrating as it is. Nobody likes to be in this spot."

Tuesday’s loss featured a dynamic that has come up time and time again for Seattle throughout the season -- effective pitching paired with an offense that couldn't find the timely hit.

Logan Gilbert pitched effectively through six innings, striking out seven, but he surrendered the go-ahead solo home run to Josh Lowe on an 85.1 mph changeup in the bottom of the sixth. Dominic Canzone had tripled and scored on a Julio Rodríguez double in the top half to tie the game, but the offense stalled late, finishing 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position before grounding into a game-ending double play in the ninth halted any thoughts of a comeback.

Rather than point to the quiet night offensively, Gilbert took full ownership of the outcome.

"I lost the game for us," Gilbert said. "I don't ever want to be too negative, but we lost a 2-1 game in a game that we should have won, and I gave up the last run. So it’s kind of the situation that we’re in."

While early-season momentum briefly hinted at a potential surge, the sustained push never came for Seattle.

"That’s what we were hoping for and that’s what we expected at some point, to hit the stride and to do the things that we’ve done in the past," Wilson said. "We had a streak early in the year, we rattled off eight and got ourselves in a really good spot, and then just haven’t been able to do that since. And that’s tough."

For veteran players like Gilbert, navigating the final stretch without a postseason push is unfamiliar territory. In previous campaigns, the Mariners were competing down to the final weekend -- but Gilbert pointed to a broader frustration beyond just the win-loss record.

"There's a lot of disappointment when you have really high expectations," Gilbert said. "Just the timing of it, careers go really fast. People know that time flies. ... You only have situations like this so often, that you feel like you have really good players on a really good team and a division that's wide open. ... These situations are rare, and you always want to take advantage of it when you can. We had high expectations, and this year just hasn’t gone the way it could have -- and that's the most frustrating part."

Adding to that frustration, in Gilbert's eyes, was how much the team's mindset had shifted.

“Even after the [20-season playoff] drought broke [in 2022] and stuff … it was, 'Let's go to the World Series,' and kind of convincing ourselves, like, 'Hey, we are this team,'" Gilbert said. "I think everybody showed up to [Spring Training] not trying to convince ourselves that we're that good -- we truly believed it. We've seen it, we've seen proof of it. So that's another frustrating part."

With two weeks remaining, the focus shifts toward playing out the stretch and giving younger talent valuable reps.

"At this point, nothing changes -- win every day, win every game. That's the job every time you show up to the park," Gilbert said. "But it's nice seeing the younger guys, too, getting comfortable. ... [Lazaro Montes] and Kade [Anderson] and some of these guys. It's exciting -- the future, but also right now. Just showing up to win every day, every game, that's the most important thing."