Former Seattle Slugger Says This Year's Mariners Team is 'Scary'
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Former Seattle star Jay Buhner, a member of the Mariners Hall of Fame, weighed in this week on the team's chances in the postseason. Like many critics and observers, the former All-Star has a feeling that this could be the year that the franchise finally wins its first-ever World Series.
In an interview with Seattle Sports' Brock & Salk Show, the 61-year-old former big-leaguer says that this team has a better chance to win than any M's club since the famed 2001 team that won an MLB record 116 games. Buhner was on that Seattle squad, his final year as a player.
“They can beat you from one to nine [in the lineup]. They can hit the ball out of the ballpark, they can steal a bag – every single guy,” Buhner told the show's hosts about the 2025 team. “Yeah, they rely on the long ball, but they were just double machines for a while there, too. And it’s a lot of fun to watch them when they get on the basepaths and then they steal a bag, start putting more pressure pitches on the pitcher, start creating havoc.”
As for the M's pitching staff, Buhner believes they are much better than even their numbers might indicate. And, he acknowledged that Andres Munoz is one of the most dominant closers in Major League Baseball today.
“You know the pitching staff is going to shove, for sure,” Buhner said. “And then their bullpen has been lights out for them. It’s a (heck) of a combination they got going right now.”
Buhner Comments on the Team's Current Vibe
One other specific point that Buhner made during the conversation was how impressed he was by the team's overall chemistry. He said that manager Dan Wilson and his ball club have displayed close ties, and there's been very little unrest in the dugout, the clubhouse, or with the media --- a good trait to have if a team wants to win it all.
“Watching the clubhouse and the way they pull for one another, they’re a close-knit group. They fight for one another, man,” Buhner said. “They show up ready to play. I love everything about ’em.”
