The Seattle Mariners defeated the Oakland Athletics 5-4 Wednesday in a sloppy back-and-forth contest to win their 21st game in the month of August. In doing so, the team set a franchise record for wins in a single month and has catapulted back into the hunt for a division title.
After dropping a game to the A’s Tuesday, the Mariners nearly dropped the series Wednesday when they fell behind 3-0 in the second inning. The team trailed again later on but tacked on two runs in the bottom of the seventh and eventually closed out the game.
“There’s like 60 days in August isn’t there? I wish there was,” Mariners manager Scott Servais told reporters. “What a month.”
Servais went on to compare his team to the 2001 Mariners, one of the greatest teams in MLB history that won 116 games. The team lost in the ALDS that year.
“Twenty-one wins in a month and there was a really special team here that won 116 games one year and they didn’t even do that,” Servais said.
The Mariners’ historic month coincided with slumps for the Astros and Rangers, the two teams that were ahead of Seattle in the AL West standings at the end of July. Going into the final month of the season, the Mariners and Astros are now tied for the division lead with the Rangers one game behind the pair.
Mariners star Julio Rodriguez was enjoying the team’s momentum after its 20th win Monday. The slugger did not participate in the 21st win because of a foot injury.
“It’s really good. I feel like everybody is playing like we all know we could,” Rodríguez said Monday. “It’s been really good seeing everybody having fun, seeing everybody getting good at-bats and getting on base and passing the baton, and getting the big hits when we need them.”
