You can’t go into the All-Star break on a higher note than the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners beat the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park on Sunday (SEA 6, TEX 2) to extend their winning streak to 14 games. It is tied for the longest winning streak in baseball this season (the Atlanta Braves won 14 straight from June 1-15) and is the second longest winning streak in franchise history.
At 51-42 (.548), the Mariners have their best first half record since going 58-39 (.598) prior to the All-Star break in 2018. The 2018 Mariners went 31-34 (.477) in the second half and Seattle missed the postseason by eight games. Here are the longest winning streaks in franchise history:
- 15 games: May 23 to June 8, 2001
- 14 games: July 2-17, 2022 (and counting)
- 10 games: April 8-17, 2002
- 10 games: Sept. 12-21, 1996
- 9 games: May 27 to June 5, 2003
- 9 games: April 19-28, 2001
All-Stars Ty France and Julio Rodríguez (who else?) were the heroes Sunday. France, who was named to the All-Star team earlier in the day, slugged a solo home run in the fifth inning and an RBI single in the seventh. Rodríguez broke the game open with a two-run double in the seventh. Those two went 4 for 9 with a double, a homer, and 4 RBI on Sunday.
Following their most recent loss on July 1, the Mariners were five games behind the third and final American League wild-card spot with five teams ahead of them. The 14-game win streak has moved Seattle into the second wild-card spot, and they are only a half-game behind the Tampa Bay Rays for the first wild-card spot. Seattle is three games up on a postseason spot in general.
The Mariners have not been to the postseason since Ichiro’s rookie season in 2001. It is baseball’s longest postseason drought by a decade. According to FanGraphs, the winning streak has improved Seattle’s postseason odds from 11.0 percent to 63.1 percent.
A year ago Seattle went 90-62 and missed the postseason by two games.
