Franchise Timeline
2020
Record: 27-33, Finished 3rd (of 5) in AL West
Just as the COVID-19 pandemic dominated the world in 2020, the health crisis also had a significant impact on the world of baseball. For safety reasons, spring training came to an abrupt halt on March 10 and the regular season was shortened to 60 games, beginning on July 24.
Despite dealing with many issues due to the pandemic, the Mariners made great strides forward with its youth movement. Led by American League Rookie of the Year Kyle Lewis, who was the top Major League rookie in runs, walks, total bases and tied for most home runs, the Mariners also saw strong rookie showings from starting pitchers Justus Sheffield and Justin Dunn.
The young team came together to go 19-14 over the final 33 games
Awards: First baseman Evan White, first-round draft pick in 2017, became the first rookie to ever win a Gold Glove Award, as did rising shortstop J.P. Crawford.
Fan Cutouts: For health reasons, fans were not permitted to attend sporting events in 2020. However, for fun, Mariners fans purchased nearly 15,000 “Seat Fleet” cutouts which were placed in the stands at T-Mobile Park for the 30 home games. The physical presence of the cutouts helped bring color and atmosphere to the ballpark and on TV screens. A portion of the proceeds were donated to local COVID relief efforts.
2021
Record: 90-72, Finished 2nd (of 5) in AL West
The 2021 season was a major step forward as the Mariners won 90 games for the first time since 2003 and remained in playoff contention as they entered the final weekend of the season tied with Boston thanks to an 11-2 run down the stretch in September. The result was three sold out crowds at T-Mobile Park.
In the third year of its rebuild, the Seattle club surprised the experts at the big league level while at the same time putting together the number-one ranked farm system in the game.
As the world and the game of baseball rebounded from the pandemic and fans were slowly allowed to return to the ballpark, the Mariners led MLB with a 33-19 record in one-run games, thanks to an outstanding bullpen (Paul Sewald, Casey Sadler, Drew Steckenrider) and an underrated starting rotation (Chris Flexen, Marco Gonzales and the debut of Logan Gilbert).
RF Mitch Haniger, 1B Ty France, 3B Kyle Seager and SS J.P. Crawford were the leading position players, as young products of the farm system C Cal Raleigh and OF Jarred Kelenic made their Major League debuts.
Seager’s Retirement: 3B Kyle Seager, who spent his entire 11-year career in Seattle, announced his retirement at the end of the season. He finished strong, with 35 home runs and 101 RBI, and with an emotional goodbye from teammates and fans at T-Mobile Park on the final day of the season.