As the 2025 Mariners were taking control of the American League West, it appeared that they were on the verge of breaking a 24 year shadow over the franchise. It also illuminated an anomaly in their past. The last Mās squad to take home a division flag was the 2001 team, one that set new heights in the regular season, only to fall short of expectations in the postseason.
In that season, the franchise welcomed Japanese star Ichiro Suzuki to the team, and he immediately set MLB on fire. He captured the AL Rookie of the Year and MVP that season, matching Fred Lynn (1975) as the only two players in Major League Baseball history to accomplish that feat. Beyond that, Ichiro proved that a Japanese position player could be a star, paving the way for a player like Shohei Ohtani years later.
As has been well-documented, that Mariners squad looked like world-beaters, setting the MLB record for regular season wins with 116. They had made it to the ALCS the season before, and hopes were high that it was the year that the Series finally came to Seattle.
Unfortunately, the 2001 Mariners ran into a Yankees team that featured Derek Jeter, Roger Clemens, Tino Martinez, and Andy Pettitte. The Mās lost the AL Championship Series in five games, becoming the first team with 110 wins or more to fail in reaching the World Series. It was a devastating end to what had been a magical season in the Emerald City. And the lingering bad taste in the fansā mouths lasted for quite a while; the Mariners would not reach the postseason again until 2022.
In many ways, however, there is a spiritual connection between 2001 and today. Current Manager Dan Wilson was the catcher on that team. Now-Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki has also been a major influence on the 2025 squad and has been a friend and mentor to current star Julio Rodriguez. The two-time AL batting champion is also credited with giving the team their rallying cry of āSeize the Momentā, a phrase he said on the day the franchise retired his number 51.
In some ways, this yearās team will be playing for redemption for those Seattle stars that came before them. They want to erase the stigma that the Mariners canāt win āthe big oneā. They are the only current franchise to have never even made a World Series appearance, despite being the home of several legendary players over the years. In 2025, they didnāt win 116 games, but they certainly proved their mettle down the stretch. And it it this team, today, who gives the franchise its best chance to make history ā in honor of that hallowed team from the past.
