This was supposed to be the season the Seattle Mariners reached the first World Series appearance in franchise history.
Instead, things have fallen off the rails in the Pacific Northwest, and a playoff berth seems next to impossible.
There are so many things to blame. Cal Raleigh’s downfall would be a big one. Odd pitching struggles have come at unfortunate times. Injuries haven’t helped.
But sometimes, you see a single play and realize that it pretty much sums it all up.
The Mariners’ game on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Angels was relatively meaningless, but it was Josh Naylor who provided a summation of the season in one brutal moment.
Josh Naylor Mistake
Naylor was on third base when Weston Wilson ripped a line drive to Angels shortstop Zach Neto.
It was a play where it wasn’t visually clear whether Neto caught the ball in the air or on a short hop, and Naylor sort of lingered a few steps off of third base rather than make a decision.
Neto threw behind Naylor, and the Angels’ third baseman stepped on the bag before Naylor was back.
Naylor was ruled out by the umpire, and he expressed his confusion, having thought that the baseball hit the ground.
It probably didn’t matter a ton, at least in the context of a game the Mariners already led by five runs.
But it just felt very Mariners-y, at least in a 2026 sense:
what are you doing naylor. FUNDAMENTALS, MAN. WE HAVE NONE pic.twitter.com/3ivz3W71Ae
— aidan #Rodden2Young (@ChartTwink) September 17, 2026
Mariners Standings
After beating the Angels on Wednesday, the Mariners now sit at 71-82 for the season.
That puts them 5.5 games back in the AL West Division.
The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers are tied at 76-76 apiece.
Seattle has nine games left to play, so the task of making up 5.5 games on two separate teams in just nine games is quite gargantuan (although not technically impossible).
Catching up in the AL Wild Card would be even tougher, because the Chicago White Sox (77-75) are an additional game further up in the standings than the two teams tied atop the AL West.
Mariners Schedule
The Mariners get an easy start to their stretch run. They play three games against the Colorado Rockies starting Friday night, and they’ll probably need a sweep to have any chance.
They then can help their cause in a two-game series against the Astros.
They close with a four-game set against the Angels.
If the Mariners want any chance here, they’ll have to do the little things well and deliver some timely, clutch plays, as well. In this season, there hasn’t been enough of either of those things, and they might have run out of time already.
Mariners’ Josh Naylor Mistake Says It All