The Boys of Summer: The Mariners
The team that united the city.
By Danny O’Neil January 21, 2026
This article originally appeared in the January/February 2026 issue of Seattle magazine.
Eight outs.
That’s what stood between the 2025 Seattle Mariners and the franchise’s first World Series appearance.
Eight outs to end a 48-year wait.
We all know what happened next, and while that Game 7 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays is going to sting for a while, that’s only because of the way this team grabbed hold of our collective imagination and took us farther than any Mariners team had before.
“The personality of the team this year was resiliency and fight,” says Mariners manager Dan Wilson.
Through injuries and a fairly miserable month of June, this team persevered. In spite of doubts and in the face of uncertainty, this lineup kept swinging, from Julio Rodríguez to Jorge Polanco to the catcher Cal Raleigh, whose backside became a local landmark. The pitching staff kept firing fastballs, whether it was George Kirby, Andrés Muñoz, or Logan Gilbert, who, for some reason, is nicknamed “Walter.”
And then, after picking up Eugenio Suárez and Josh Naylor, these Mariners got on a roll. They won 17 of 18 games during one truly remarkable stretch in September and earned the sixth playoff berth in franchise history. In the postseason, Seattle stared down Detroit through 15 innings of white-knuckle anxiety to win a decisive Game 5 and reach the American League Championship Series for the fourth time ever.
No, the Mariners did not win the championship. They showed us it was possible, though, bringing the city together in a way we hadn’t seen in years. For weeks, it was all anybody talked about, a collective energy, and a wave of jerseys filling sidewalks, restaurants, and stores. Through laughter and tears, we all chased the dream of victory, and while it didn’t come true (this time), that doesn’t make it any less meaningful for us—or for them.
“This is a very close group,” Wilson says. “Their bond is undeniable. They supported each other, they pushed each other, and they loved each other, and that was a big key to how well they played together each night.”
About Most Influential
Every year, Seattle magazine’s Most Influential list takes a close look at the people shaping the city right now. The 2025 cohort spans politics, philanthropy, arts, hospitality, business, and community work, highlighting leaders whose influence shows up in tangible ways across the city. Some are longtime fixtures. Others are newer voices. What connects them is impact—and the ability to move ideas, systems, and conversations forward as the city heads into 2026.
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