MLB Expert Points Out How the Mariners were Sunk in the ALCS
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Standing on the verge of making the first World Series appearance in Mariners history, Seattle fell just short. Their amazing run down the stretch and through the postseason ended with a 4-3 oss in the American League Championship Series. So, once again, fans in the Emerald City are already saying, 'Wait 'til next year.'
The Mariners mixed a little luck with a load of timely hitting and steady pitching to get all the way to that fateful Game 7. However, they fell short in terms of their work on the mound, At least that's how MLB Insider Jon Morosi saw it.
“This Game 7 was in the Mariners’ grasp (with) nine outs to go,” Morosi stated to Seattle Sports. “And when we look back on this one, we’ll probably think about two decisions: Removing George Kirby after four innings, and then extending Bryan Woo beyond two innings.”
🔥 The call. The swing. The win.@Fan960Steinberg was on the mic for George Springer’s game-winning blast in Game 7 of the ALCS! pic.twitter.com/63HHzSVZoR
— Sportsnet 960 (@Sportsnet960) October 21, 2025
“The thought I had was that after Woo completed the sixth, we might see the bullpen get involved to begin the seventh, (with) perhaps two innings being the limit of Woo. But you understand why Dan Wilson stuck with Woo. He had been their best pitcher for most of the season.
“But it seemed as though with his current range right now, perhaps Woo was a bit overextended. The command wasn’t quite there.”
Seattle's Pitching Fell Short
Morosi pointed out what he saw as the major miscalculation of the Mariners manager.
“Kirby’s fastball command, I thought, was much improved from where it had been earlier on in this series,” Morosi said. “Perhaps if they had gone with one extra inning from Kirby, then you could have gotten the two innings from Woo. That would have brought you through the seventh, and then you would have been able to potentially go right to (closer Andrés) Muñoz and skip over Bazardo.”
Pitching will likely be what the Mariners pursue in free agency. While Woo did win 15 games this season, there's no guarantee the young starter can repeat his 2025 performance. Look for Seattle to try and sign a proven starter who can bolster the rotation and eat up a lot of innings.
