There is no better time for the Seattle Mariners to have swept the Houston Astros than with less than 10 games to go in the regular season. The Mariners have been inching closer and closer to the Astros these past few weeks and was right on their tail for the AL West lead heading into their all-important three-game series over the weekend. And there is simply no stopping this Mariners squad, as they continued their torrid run of ballgames with a 7-3 win on Sunday — sealing the three-game series sweep over their division rival.
Something has certainly clicked within the Mariners locker room over the past few weeks. They have the second-best record in MLB during that span, at 14-5 (trailing just the Cleveland Guardians who are at 16-5), and they keep on raking — they've scored the most runs in the entirety of MLB during that span.
Cal Raleigh, who may be on his way to winning an AL MVP award for his incredible 2025 season, further added to his tally when he hit his 58th dinger of the year, a two-run home run in the top of the second inning on Sunday to pad the Mariners' lead. This just showed how important Raleigh and the Mariners viewed this series against the Astros, and they simply would not be denied of the sweep that has now given them a three-game lead in the division.
“We weren't satisfied after one win or two wins, and we finished the job,” Raleigh said, per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com.
But this Mariners squad is out for blood and knows that the job is far from finished.
“But we've still got ways to go. We've still got some work to do at home and, we've just got to keep bringing that same kind of energy,” Raleigh added.
Mariners now in driver's seat in AL West standings
Nearly all season long, the Mariners have been looking up at the Astros in the division standings. But Seattle has caught fire over the calendar month of September, reserving their best for the final month of the regular season to take a three-game lead for the AL West crown with six games remaining on the season.
If the season were to end today, the Mariners would have gotten a bye straight to the ALDS. That should be cause for celebration for a team that's been fighting so hard to make the playoffs dating back to the 2023 season.
