Ya gotta 'believe': Mariners tied for WC spot

SEATTLE -- The Mariners' mantra of "Believe" has gone mainstream, but it's really been at the forefront of their makeup within the clubhouse dating back to Spring Training.

More than any attribute, Seattle has shown resiliency at every stage of this six-month marathon. There have been countless times that the Mariners have looked like they were headed toward a season-defining spiral, yet each time, they've bounced back. Seeking their first postseason berth since 2001, they are tied with the Red Sox for the second American League Wild Card with three games left in the regular season.

With that in mind, here is a look back at the five most defining moments of the Mariners' season, just before they bounced back. Rather than illustrate the highest of highs, these instances underscore just how down this young club was before it rebounded in a big way.

1. San Diego sweep
May 23 at San Diego

Seattle was outscored, 31-7, over a three-game series at Petco Park, while also weathering a COVID-19 outbreak among five relievers. That dropped the Mariners to a season-worst five games under .500.

Things had never looked bleaker, and that sweep also felt symbolic. The Mariners share a Spring Training facility with the Padres, who were World Series favorites at the time of that sweep, and they'd been likened to San Diego for their similar rebuild trajectories. Even first baseman Ty France suggested as much after coming over from San Diego at the Trade Deadline last year.

After a 9-2 defeat in the finale, Mariners manager Scott Servais called a postgame team meeting -- not to rile his players up, but rather, rally his troops. He suggested at the time that the Mariners would never be in a more challenging spot, and in many ways, perhaps he was right.

Since that sun-soaked Sunday in San Diego, the Mariners are 68-44 for the fifth-best record in the Majors, and they haven't been swept since.

2. The second no-hitter
May 18 vs. Tigers

For the second time in 13 days, the Mariners were no-hit, putting their season-long offensive struggles to that point on the most disappointing and prominent display. After they were blanked by Detroit's Spencer Turnbull, Seattle's bats were collectively slashing .199/.280/.362 for an MLB-worst .642 OPS and 85 wRC+ (league average is 100).

Frustration was mounting. Even-keeled Mitch Haniger's candid comments postgame indicated as much.

"We're starting to get to that point where most of the guys in the lineup have had enough at-bats where they need to start finding their groove and finding what they need to do and start making adjustments," Haniger said.

While the Mariners haven't transformed into a far flashier offense -- their .704 OPS since is 26th in the Majors -- they have found far more creative and clutch ways to produce runs. Their 9.32 clutch factor, compiled by FanGraphs (which measures how much better or worse a player does in high-leverage situations than in a context-neutral situation) is far and away the Majors' best this season.

3. Kelenic's game of inches
Sept. 15 vs. Red Sox

The difference between what would've been a series win two weeks ago -- and what would have them ahead of Boston in the American League Wild Card standings as of Wednesday -- was mere inches.

Kelenic yanked a mid-90s fastball from Adam Ottavino just barely into foul territory into the right-field corner that would've easily scored Jake Bauers from first base on what was already a hit-and-run attempt. The ball was scorched off Kelenic's bat at 103.2 mph and looked like it was about to send the 17,860 on hand into a walk-off frenzy.

Alas, the rookie wound up striking out to push the game to extras, where Boston broke through for six runs to stun Seattle and push the Mariners to four games back of the playoffs with 16 to play and four teams ahead of them.

Yet the Mariners immediately responded by going 8-2 on a gauntlet of a season-defining road trip, which pushed them into this final homestand that has them on the cusp.

4. Montero melts down in Cleveland
June 12 at Cleveland

The beginning of the end for Rafael Montero came on a bright Saturday at Progressive Field that quickly turned dark for Seattle. After Yusei Kikuchi worked seven brilliant shutout innings, Montero came on in the ninth with a two-run lead. He worked two quick outs then walked Bradley Zimmer and Josh Naylor, gave up a one-run single to Bobby Bradley, which set up René Rivera, who was pushed to an 0-2 count but came back with a dagger of a double.

That forced the game into extras, where Paul Sewald entered in a tough spot with a lead runner then wound up making a critical, walk-off error attempting to throw that said runner out at the plate. The defeat left Servais saying, "There's no way to put a good vibe around that finish to that ballgame."

Yet the Mariners came back the very next day and bullied reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber behind a brilliant outing from Logan Gilbert. Including that win and beginning that day, the Mariners' 58 wins since trail only the Dodgers and Giants' 64.

5. Paxton lost right away
April 6 vs. White Sox

The Mariners were so thrilled to bring back James Paxton as a veteran leader and top-of-the-rotation arm when they signed him near the start of Spring Training, which made his abrupt, season-ending forearm injury so incredibly disappointing for the team and the beleaguered left-hander.

Paxton left his 2021 debut after just four outs in visible discomfort and frustration, and he wound up having season-ending Tommy John surgery shortly after. At the time, it looked like the Mariners' rotation wouldn't be able to plug such a massive hole, given how much they were leaning on Paxton for innings since the rest of their young staff would be on limitations.

Yet Seattle found ways to cover Paxton's void -- and those left by Marco Gonzales, Justin Dunn, Sheffield and a few others who were injured -- along the way, thanks to a big bounce back by Gonzales (who returned from injury), a huge first half by Kikuchi, the emergence of Gilbert in May, the breakout from Chris Flexen and the Trade Deadline acquisition of Tyler Anderson.