Sep 23, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher Andrés Muñoz (75) and catcher Cal Raleigh (29) celebrate following the final out of a victory against the Colorado Rockies, clinching a playoff berth at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Mariners' Magic Numbers: How Seattle Can Clinch AL West, First-Round Bye

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Jackson Roberts | Last updated Sep 24, 2025 9:21 AM ET

A lot of depressing factoids about the Seattle Mariners date back to the 2001 season.

That year, the Mariners won a major league record 116 games, but were bounced in the American League Championship Series by the New York Yankees. Since then, the Mariners haven't won a division title, and haven't even advanced as far as the Division Series.

After clinching a playoff berth on Tuesday night, however, the Mariners can do erase both droughts in a very short window.

How Mariners can clinch AL West, first-round bye

Seattle enters play on Wednesday with a record of 88-69. The Houston Astros, who Seattle swept over the weekend, are 84-73, while the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians, one of whom will win the AL Central, are both 85-72.

The division will be easiest for the Mariners to clinch. With either a win or an Astros loss against the Athletics on Wednesday, Seattle will have that long-awaited first AL West crown in 24 years. The Astros, who joined the division in 2013, have won seven crowns since then -- all coming in the last eight years.

So that magic number is down to one, but what about the all-important magic number to clinch the bye straight to the ALDS?

Well, thankfully for Seattle, the Mariners own the tiebreaker over both the Guardians and Tigers. With a three-game lead on both teams, the Mariners' magic number to clinch a first-round bye is two.

The Mariners cannot clinch that bye on Wednesday, because the Tigers and Guardians are playing each other. But if they win both of their next two games against the Colorado Rockies, or if they win one and Detroit and Cleveland split their last two, the Mariners will have the bye sewn up before the Los Angeles Dodgers come to town for the weekend.

It's nearly sewn up, but the Mariners cannot yet afford to let their foot off the gas pedal. They took care of business with a late-inning flurry against the hapless Rockies on Tuesday night, but they'd be wise to put Colorado to bed early for the remainder of the series.

More MLB: Mariners' Cal Raleigh Has 4-Word Warning For AL Rivals After Clinching Playoffs

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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