Mariners clutch up, clutch tightly to 3-2 comeback victory

Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty ImagesThey’re not playing meaningless baseball. Far from it. The Seattle Mariners won their 45th game of 2025 on Wednesday night by a threadbare margin, but I’m told they all count the same when 162 are tallied. With their 3-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals, Seattle stretched their lead on the third and final Wild Card spot to 2.5 games across the board. They gained on the Angels, Guardians, Red Sox, and Yankees, all but the last of whom are among the morass of quasi-contenders lurking just beneath the waves.

But in a game where Cal Raleigh did not play due to rest, and the Houston Astros won once more (albeit tested again by the Colorado Rockies), the…