Mariners Inch Towards Wild Card, Hoping To Break 2 Decade Curse

SEATTLE — The Emerald City has had a wealth of great sports moments over the past decade. The Seahawks took home a Super Bowl championship in 2013 and have remained strong contenders in the years since. The Sounders won the MLS Cup in 2016 and 2019 and fans flock to their games at Lumen Stadium. But the Mariners really haven't had a similar moment.

Until now.

The M's are hot off a miracle run of games, winning 9 of their last 10 matches, and as of midday Friday are tied with the Boston Red Sox for the second slot of the AL Wild Card matchup. The team has just three games left to cinch that spot, but if they can, it'll be the first time the team has made the playoffs since 2001, the longest active playoff drought in Major League Baseball.

The Mariners believe they can do it, and they have a secret weapon, because the fans believe it too.

Across the city and Puget Sound, the Mariners have seen an outpouring of support from fans, other sports teams and local leaders who all want to see the team pull itself out of its record-breaking slump.

Of course, many fans aren't content to cheer the team on from home: thousands will be flocking to T-Mobile field this weekend for the M's final three game stand against the Los Angeles Angels. As of the team's latest update, they've sold 40,000+ tickets for each of those three games. According to AP Sports Writer Tim Booth, over the past decade the mariners have only played 2 home games in September or October with crowds over 40,000. T-Mobile Park's total capacity is 47,000.

Friday in particular is "virtually sold out" according to the team, and only a few thousand seats remain available for Saturday and Sunday. If you're one of the tens of thousands of fans heading to T-Mobile this weekend, the field asks that you prepare for lines, and give yourself extra time to get to the ballpark — it's not often Seattle's stadium district has to handle crowds like this!