Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Penn Murfee (56) pitches to the Texas Rangers during the sixth inning at T-Mobile Park in 2022. Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Tuesday is the Anniversary of a Sad Day in Seattle Mariners History

Originally posted on Seattle Mariners on SI
By Brady Farkas | Last updated 10/15/24

Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Tuesday is a rather disappointing anniversary in Seattle Mariners team history.

It's the two-year anniversary of the M's last playoff game, a 1-0 loss to the Houston Astros in a game that lasted 18 innings. Seattle lost thanks to an 18th-inning home run from Jeremy Pena, which came off reliever Penn Murfee.

That loss solidified a sweep by the Astros in the American League Division Series. The Mariners had previously beaten the Toronto Blue Jays in the wild card round but were unable to replicate the magic against their division rivals.

2 years ago the Astros beat the Mariners 1-0 in a game that lasted 6 hours and 22 minutes and went to 18 innings pic.twitter.com/WLzC5VMUfa
— Houston Central (@HoustonCentral_) October 15, 2024

Ever since that moment, the Mariners have been trying (and failing) to get back to the playoffs. Following the excitement of that season, the team went out and added Teoscar Hernandez to the middle of the order and brought in Kolten Wong, but the team failed to make the playoffs, missing them by 1.0 game on the final weekend of the season. Wong didn't make it through the entire season and neither did Tommy La Stella or AJ Pollock, two other offseason additions.

In 2024, the M's let Hernandez walk in free agency and also traded away Eugenio Suarez, bringing in Jorge Polanco and Luke Raley instead. However, they again missed the playoffs by just 1.0 game.

The Astros win the division again in each of those seasons.

As the Mariners get set to embark on the 2024 offseason, they are in need of offensive upgrades all around the infield. Furthermore, they need multiple relievers and they need a year's worth of good health out of reliever Gregory Santos.

This article first appeared on Seattle Mariners on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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