Opening Day has come and gone, now it's a marathon to the ultimate goal this fall.
President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto of the Seattle Mariners watches batting practice prior to game five of the American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers at T-Mobile Park on October 10, 2025 in Seattle, Washington.
Even getting there would be a major victory, the Mariners are the last MLB team to never make the fall classic.Of course, they came tantalizingly close in 2025 with a 7th inning lead in Game 7 of the ALCS before falling to Toronto. The stated goal is to get to that point this year, the Mariners are certainly the pick of many experts to do so along with their patient and loyal fanbase."There is an expectation that this group can do something that no Mariners team has ever done before and that's pretty exciting," Dipoto told me before Opening Day.What's more? Despite just how good that 2025 AL West-winning Mariners team was, Dipoto believes this 2026 group is even better. "Last year, where we left off, the expectation was that anticipation would be high, that we would be a little more hunted than the hunter and we came very close last year to taking that last step that we've never been able to take and this team is considerably better than that." That is a statement, because as Dipoto said, the '25 Mariners went further than any other team in franchise history, almost making it to the level the Mariners never have in the World Series. Dipoto did trade for Brendan Donovan this offseason who hit a home run in his first ever at-bat as a Mariner. He brought in a high leverage bullpen arm in Jose Ferrer. He brought in a veteran presence in Rob Refsnyder.The Mariners are in this position as a World Series contender because of the homegrown talent. Dipoto and the Mariners identified, signed or drafted then developed Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez Cole Young and rising prospect Colt Emerson along with four of the five starting pitchers . In short, the road to get to this point meant twists and turns and at times some heartbreak, but the M's front office methodically and purposefully built a great collection of talent and personalities. So when Dipoto, who has watched those guys grow or identified free agents and trade targets to bolster the ranks, says that this team has that sort of expectation it comes from a genuine belief in baseball talent evaluation.One thing is for sure, top to bottom, the entire Mariners organization is hungry and working so hard towards delivering that first-ever World Series.A 26-year-old man has been charged with attempted second-degree murder after prosecutors say he tried to push a stranger in front of an oncoming light rail traiAuthorities in Pierce County have seized large quantities of illegal drugs following a lengthy investigation, officials said.Members of the Pierce County SherifA 28-year-old Burien man behind the wheel of a stolen Infiniti G37Happened around 2:40DUI, felony eluding, possession of a stolen vehicle.Northbound InterstateWilson faces two counts of violating a no-contact order in a domestic violence case where he is accused of stalking and harassing his former fiancée.
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