Seattle spirit:
The Mariners are pushing toward their first playoff appearance in 17 years while enjoying the ride.
The Seattle Mariners clubhouse was strangely quiet, with those close to the team knowing the stillness wouldn’t last.
A bolt of energy burst through the doors.
“What’s up, brothers?” Dee Gordon said in a booming voice.
What’s up in Seattle besides soaring home prices? The locals are talking up the Mariners as they try to erase a streak of 17 years without a playoff appearance.
It’s a number they can’t escape, as it’s the longest current drought among the four major North American professional sports. As Seattle sets sail into the second half as the American League West’s second-place team at 58-39, it has a threegame lead on Oakland for the AL’s second wild-card spot.
“We have been getting packed houses the last couple of months,” All-Star outfielder Mitch Haniger said. “I think they are on board and they realize what’s going on. We have been playing really good, and it’s been good to see all those seats get filled.”
The fans have discovered what these Mariners already knew about each other.
“We have a lot of fun and we are loose,” said Gordon, who moved from center field to second base when Robinson Cano was suspended for 80 games for failing a drug test. “Win or lose, we pretty much stay the same. No one is going to go 162-0.”
Although Seattle entered the All-Star break on a four-game slide, it remained five games behind the first-place Houston Astros in the American League West.
After Cano was sidelined, most thought the Mariners’ time had come and gone. A significant suspension to one of your best players isn’t the way to reach the postseason.
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“It was a big blow, no doubt,” manager Scott Servais said. “I think you have to let the players let their emotions come out; certain guys were disappointed, ticked off and everything in between.
“I think the big thing is Robbie is part of the Mariners going forward. He made a mistake, and I just wanted to make sure our guys understood we still have plenty of talent in our clubhouse. Don’t go out and try to do too much. Just go out and do your job, that was the point that I made, and they have taken the challenge.”
Cano was suspended for 80 games for testing positive for furosemide, a diuretic commonly used as a masking agent for drug tests. Though he is eligible to return in mid-August, under Major League Baseball rules he is ineligible should the team reach the playoffs.
“We were all shocked, but at the end of day we had a meeting with him and we said, ‘Look, we are going to expect you to come back and contribute,’ ” Haniger said. “We are going to be in the race and we are going to take care of business until then. We will get through it.”
The repercussions of losing Cano, an eight-time All-Star, haven’t been all negative.
“Others guys have stepped up, and I think it has brought our team closer together,” Haniger said. “I think we realized our best player is out and we have to find a way to get it done. No one feels sorry for us.”
When Cano landed on the shelf, general manager Jerry Dipoto acquired reliever Alex Colome and veteran outfielder Denard Span, who is in his 11th bigleague season, from the Tampa Bay Rays.
Both have pitched in, with Colome serving as the setup man to lights-out closer Edwin Diaz, who has 36 saves. Span has been a steadying influence on and off the field for Servais.
Another deal playing dividends this year is from November 2016, when Dipoto swapped right-hander Taijuan Walker and infielder Ketel Marte in a deal for All-Star shortstop Jean Segura and Haniger.
Segura, the team’s everyday shortstop, entered the All-Star break hitting .323 with 66 runs scored and 47 RBI. Haniger had 18 homers and a team-high 67 RBI, third best in the AL.
Also, Gordon, acquired from the Miami Marlins in the offseason, led the AL in steals (22) while moving from center field to second base when Cano was suspended.
The roster has produced the majors’ fourth-best record, built around a deep bullpen, solid defense and an offense with plenty of pop led by Nelson Cruz (22 homers).
The hitting has yet to be consistent, with Seattle leading the league with 26 one-run wins.
“We’re just a bunch of fighters,” Haniger said.
“We are resilient. We can win the games early and win games late. If we’re up early, we just keep the foot on the gas. And if we are down, we know we got the bats to come back and put up a couple of runs when we need to. We are just playing all 27 outs.”
Not far outside Safeco Field is the No. 12, signifying the fan base for the Seattle Seahawks, which the team champions as giving Seattle a 12-to-11 player advantage in football. The way vocal Mariners boosters are backing their team, maybe a No. 10 will be erected.
That bond among players also runs deep.
“You can’t really teach it,” said third-base coach Scott Brosius, a three-time World Series champion with the New York Yankees.
“It just kind of comes when you like each other, trust each other and play for each other. You have to love winning, but you have to hate losing, too.”
Just don’t misplace your sense of humor when entering the jovial clubhouse, where barbs are constant, the shenanigans plentiful.
“We still have a long way to go,” Segura said. “But we will continue to have fun.”