Mariners Manager Dan Wilson Discusses How his Team is Preparing for the Playoffs
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It's been a fun week for the Seattle Mariners. Aside from losing their final three games of the regular season to the Los Angeles Dodgers, everything is seemingly going their way. They cinched their first division title in 24 years, capping off a sweet September that saw them vanquish their rivals, the Houston Astros, from postseason play.
For Mariners manager Dan Wilson, it's been a slower-than-usual schedule the last few days, as his team was afforded a bit of time off thanks to being the number 2 overall seed in the playoffs. The M's scheduled two inter-squad scrimmages at T-Mobile Park this week, before they even knew who their opponents would be. On Thursday, they learned that their opponents in Game 1 of the AL Division Series will be the Detroit Tigers, who vanquished the Cleveland Guardians in the Wild Card round.
As the team was set to scrimmage this week, Wilson sat down with the media and had the opportunity to speak about the season, his team's attitude heading into the playoffs, and several other topics.
Wilson has been a Great Leader in 2025
Perhaps due to their manager and his approach, the 2025 Mariners are a close-knit team. Many players, throughout the season, have credited Wilson's attitude as an example for the clubhouse. He has earned a nickname that seems like a cliché in sports. But in the Seattle skipper's case, it's true... He's a 'player's manager.'
"We're excited to be back, to be preparing for this next round," Wilson opened with. "The off day was nice for everybody, getting a chance to rest a little bit... these guys were really pushed hard late in the season, so getting a day to just re-set the clock, re-set the mind, re-set the body."
During the media conference, Wilson was asked about the health of ace starting pitcher, Bryan Woo, who has been sidelined with a pectoral strain. However, the manager seemed to look at the situation positively.
"We're still kicking everything around, and we'll probably announce that sometime around Friday... You take into consideration everything. Thinking about how the roster is going to look... You look at it all. Bryan had a good session yesterday. So, you keep talking about it and trying to put it all together."
Wilson was asked if his approach as a manger would change now that everything is on the line.
"I think there's a delicate balance between trying to do something more or something bigger, just because it's the postseason," Wilson asserted. "It's understanding your identity. And I think that's the thing you lean into. [The postseason] isn't the time to change. It's a time to be consistent."
Dan Wilson and the Mariners will face the Tigers on Saturday at T-Mobile Park. On what is a loaded weekend in Seattle Sports, the official start time is still to be determined.
