The Mariners Broke Their 21 Year Playoff Drought On A Walk-Off Home Run By Cal Raleigh

For the first time since 2001, the Seattle Mariners will play postseason baseball. The Mariners took on the lowly Oakland Athletics on Friday night, and with a win, the team would clinch a playoff berth. Things looked good after the first inning, as the team took a 1-0 lead when Ty France drove in Dylan Moore, but in Oakland’s next time up at the plate, Shea Langeliers hit a homer to draw things level.

The two sides were deadlocked for the remainder of the game, and while this did make things unnecessarily tense for Seattle, it gave us one of the best moments we’ve had in Major League Baseball in recent memory. Cal Raleigh pinch hit for Luis Torrens in the bottom of the ninth after Mitch Haniger and Carlos Santana both struck out. The count was full, and instead of meeting the same fate as his previous two teammates, Raleigh turned on an off-speed pitch down in the zone and sent it into the right field bleachers.

The crowd at T-Mobile Park completely melted down. With this dinger, Seattle clinched a Wild Card spot in the American League, meaning the playoff field is now set. The Astros, Yankees, and Guardians all clinched their divisions, while the Blue Jays and Rays had previously secured Wild Card spots.