Seattle Mariners Flamethrowing Closer on Verge of Joining Special Team History

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When Seattle Mariners closer Andres Munoz, records his next save, he'll join a rare group in team history. Once he records three more, he'll join an even rarer one.
Per Mariners PR:
.Muñoz is 1 save away from becoming the 10th Mariners pitcher with 30 saves in a season, and the first since Edwin Díaz in 2018...he is 3 saves aways from moving into the top 5 in Mariners history.
Mariners 30 save seasons
Player | High Save Season For M's |
|---|---|
Edwin Diaz | 57 |
Fernando Rodney | 48 |
Kazuhiro Sasaki | 45 |
J.J. Putz | 40 |
David Aardsma | 38 |
Brandon League | 37 |
Eddie Guardado | 36 |
Jose Mesa | 33 |
Mike Schooler | 33 |
Munoz, 26, is a two-time All-Star already and has a devastating 1.31 ERA this year. He's struck out 61 batters in 48.0 innings with his combination of an upper-90s fastball and a slider. He has a WHIP of just 0.979.
Lifetime, Munoz is in his sixth season with the San Diego Padres and Mariners. He was acquired by Seattle during the COVID 2020 season, the same year that the M's acquired Taylor Trammell, Matt Brash, and Ty France, also from the Padres. He's 13-21 with a 2.39 ERA in 248 career games. He became the M's closer once Paul Sewald was traded in the 2023 season.
The Mariners will need Munoz to continue to be big down the stretch if they are going to make the playoffs for the first time since 2022. Seattle enters play on Monday at 68-57 and in a tie for the top wild card spot in the American League. They are also just 1.5 games back of the Houston Astros in the American League West.
The M's will play the Phillies on Monday afternoon at 3:35 p.m. PT.
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