Cal Raleigh reacts after hitting a walk-off solo home run against the Oakland Athletics that sent the Seattle Mariners to the postseason. Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Mariners end 21-year postseason drought on Cal Raleigh's walk-off home run

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 10/1/22

The Seattle Mariners are finally back in the playoffs.

The Mariners beat the Oakland A’s 2-1 on Friday night in Seattle to clinch a wild-card spot. They have reached the playoffs for the first time since 2001, ending a 21-year drought, which was the longest in major North American pro sports.

The team clinched in grand fashion too as Cal Raleigh slugged a pinch-hit walk-off home run to win the game:

SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE.

THE MARINERS END THEIR POSTSEASON DROUGHT WITH A WALK-OFF HOME RUN. pic.twitter.com/qcDM5JG1xx

— MLB (@MLB) October 1, 2022

Cal Raleigh is the 1st player in MLB history to hit a pinch-hit, walk-off home run to clinch a playoff spot for his team.

h/t @EliasSports
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 1, 2022

It doesn’t get better than that.

The Mariners are now 86-70 with a .551 winning percentage. The Mariners have had eight winning seasons since their incredible 116-win campaign in 2001. Three of those years, they’ve had a winning percentage higher than .551. But until the recent expansion of the postseason field, they weren’t quite good enough to make the playoffs.

That’s all changing.

The other nice aspect of the Mariners ending their postseason drought is that it comes in the new playoff format, where they don’t have to deal with the silly one-game playoff. Instead, they will get a three-game series.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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