When a team finds itself in postseason contention, you can always find a few nice success stories mixed in there that don’t always jump out at you on the surface.
But in the case of the Seattle Mariners, there is one guy in the bullpen who has been instrumental in their success.
Reliever Erik Swanson has been a revelation for Seattle this season.
He emerged as a solid bullpen piece last year for the Mariners, posting a 3.31 ERA in 33 appearances.
This year, he’s been even better and is helping carry a dominant Mariners bullpen.
He’s 2-0 with an 0.84 ERA in 45 appearances.
In 43 innings in those appearances, he’s only allowed 29 hits, four runs, and has struck out 54 batters.
Swanson’s Dominance
Swanson has proven to be a true weapon in the Mariners’ bullpen.
A lot of things fell into place for Seattle earlier this season when they began their surge.
Swanson is just one example.
The 28-year-old right-hander has been virtually unhittable this season.
When a pitcher posts a sub-one ERA, that usually tells you that he’s pretty dominant and a reliable weapon.
He’s been a strikeout machine too.
The Mariners have plenty of solid weapons in their bullpen such as Diego Castillo and Paul Sewald.
Swanson has emerged as one of the more reliable weapons Seattle has in their pen.
This is a bullpen that you don’t want to face late in games, thanks in large part to Swanson.
The bullpen has become a strength for this young upstart Mariners ballclub that looks to end its 20-year postseason drought.
We’ll see if Swanson continues to dominate in key spots.
He’ll be a crucial piece if the Mariners make a deep run.
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