It is hard to understate the anguish the Seattle Mariners are feeling after losing the ALCS to the Toronto Blue Jays. That anguish was echoed by manager Dan Wilson, who called the loss “tough to swallow”.
Nevertheless, Mariners Vice President of Baseball Operations Jerry DiPoto is rallying to Wilson's defense, per Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times. While some might question Wilson's choices in Game 7, specifically his pitching decisions, DiPoto gave him the benefit of the doubt.
“It’s hard to be a manager, and it’s hard to make those decisions in real time, and we do the best we can to collaborate with Dan and (the coaching) staff and give them a menu of different thoughts and options,” Dipoto said. “And I’ll never begrudge him for making a move he believed in and trusted.”
Additionally, Dipoto defended Wilson's use of Bryan Woo, George Kirby, and Eduard Bazardo during the playoffs. It was Bazardo who gave up the pitch to George Springer who hit the game winning home run in Game 7.
“We could paint it a million different ways,” Dipoto said. “But you had had one of the best pitchers in baseball (George Kirby) hand the ball to another of the best pitchers in baseball (Bryan Woo) hand it to a guy (Bazardo) who has been a ‘pivot’ star for us for months, and the fact that he gave up a home run is just going to be a piece of history that we’re going to have to live with.”
A full circle moment for Dan Wilson and the Mariners
Despite the defeat, Wilson led the Mariners back to prominence. Also, it was thirty years after Wilson and company helped save baseball in Seattle.
In 1995, Wilson was the catcher for the Mariners when they made an improbable run to the ALCS. That year, they came back from 13.5 games behind the California Angels to win the AL West. Then, the Mariners came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the New York Yankees in the ALDS, thanks to Edgar Martinez and his game winning double.
In the ALCS, they lost to the then Cleveland Indians. Fast forward to 2025 and Wilson as manager propelled his team into a contender.
