Kanzler rides atypical path to Mariners job: 'He left us no choice'

SEATTLE -- Jason Kanzler took an unconventional path to becoming the Seattle Mariners' new manager.

He once considered going to medical school but then became a walk-on star in college. After a stint in the minor leagues, he was a high school physics and chemistry teacher.

But baseball kept calling him back.

Now he's the 19th full-time manager in Mariners history, and 22nd overall since the club's inception in 1977. Seattle general manager Justin Hollander said Kanzler's dynamic personality and background as an analytics-forward player-development coach made him the obvious choice for the job.

"To Jason's credit, I think he left us no choice throughout the process," Hollander said. "It was just…