TORONTO -- It was impossible not to draw the parallels as the game pushed into all-timer territory.
The Mariners manufactured an epic blend of nostalgia bridging their most iconic win in franchise history with another -- Friday’s 3-2 walk-off in the 15th inning -- that will either be considered a one-up or close second, depending on who you poll.
Both were in Game 5 of the AL Division Series. Both featured a walk-off knock in extra innings. Both had their towering ace pitching out of the bullpen. Both were in their home ballpark, and both featured a deafening crowd that never sat down.
And both had Dan Wilson and Edgar Martinez in the winning dugout -- 30 years apart, nearly to the day.
“The Double” is so ingrained in the organization’s fabric that the moment has its own moniker, despite its essence of describing a standard hit result that occurs in virtually every baseball game. That’s perhaps because of what Martinez’s game-winning hit meant to the entire region, arguably saving baseball in Seattle.
And they might need to add a nickname to the franchise’s vernacular for Jorge Polanco’s heroics when ripping a game-winning RBI single in the 15th inning on Friday.
Maybe it’ll be Martinez who coins it. After all, he’s had a huge impact on Polanco’s resurgence this season, as Seattle’s director of hitting strategy.
“Edgar has helped me a lot,” Polanco said.
Martinez, who played for 18 seasons in Seattle, is now the behind-the-scenes mastermind of an offense that experienced a resounding turnaround in 2025 and was one of the AL’s most dynamic. He was also the first person that Wilson called to add to his coaching staff when the former catcher was brought on during last August’s managerial change.
Martinez and Wilson are among just 11 members of the Mariners Hall of Fame, with their fingerprints all over some of the club’s greatest moments. And they now have another.
“It feels similar,” Martinez said, “because in the month of September in '95, it felt like a playoff almost every night. And this team was in the same situation, where we were close in the race, behind at times, until we got going. But it felt like a playoff game for most of September. And the way that the guys have been playing, it feels like the [same] intensity every day.”
The most glaring parallels between 1995 and 2025, however, are in the personalities.
Edgar, Dan The Man, Junior, Buhner, The Big Unit and the rest of that bunch all resonated for the way they endeared themselves to fans. And those same attributes are why the Puget Sound region has so passionately latched on to this year’s group.
- Cal Raleigh is the blue-collar catcher who swatted 60 homers and everyone adores for being maybe the sport’s most grounded superstar.
- Julio Rodríguez has always had the flair and charisma to be one of MLB’s most marketable players, and now he has the October spotlight.
- Logan Gilbert is the 6-foot-6 giraffe of a pitcher who is gentle off the mound but has a mean alter-ego on it.
- J.P. Crawford is the elder statesman, here since the rebuild began in 2019, who plays a slick shortstop with swagger.
- Eugenio Suárez embodies every bit of “Good Vibes Only” and had one of MLB’s most feel-good reunions at this year’s Trade Deadline.
- Josh Naylor has an Einstein-level baseball IQ but also plays with intensity that this region hasn’t seen in ages.
- Andrés Muñoz pitches the ninth inning like an assassin then goes home and cuddles his Persian cat, with Instagram posts to prove it.
The list goes on.
“It's a core that’s been together for a few years, and the fans really like their personalities, how they play,” Martinez said. “They play hard. They play every day. And they're very talented. So it is kind of similar to '95, where we had the core that stayed together for years, and once the fans see them every day, they get closer and closer to the players. So it seems very similar.”
Added Wilson: “The personalities that we have, the way these guys play the game, the way they have fun playing the game, those are things that really shine through on a daily basis, I think. And I think the fans can appreciate that. And I know our guys appreciate the fans so much.”
The 1995 team, for all its gallant, still fell short in that year’s AL Championship Series, losing in six games to Cleveland. The 2025 team, however, can rewrite history. The Mariners, after all, are MLB’s only team that’s never played in the World Series -- an opportunity that’s just four wins away.
“It means a lot to the city, this organization,” Raleigh said. “Like I said, we've worked really hard for this. And it's really sweet, especially after the last couple of years left a sour taste in your mouth.”
If they do advance to the Fall Classic, Seattle will go seismic. And a city so starved for this spotlight will have all its eyes on the players they continue to fall in love with.
“I'm very impressed the way they have been all-in about their personality and played to their personality," Martinez said. “It's been a lot of fun to watch, and they embrace it.”