Seattle Mariners Are Part of a Rather Depressing List in Current Sports History

The Washington Commanders exited the list on Saturday night, but the Mariners still remain...

Seattle Mariners former manger Lou Piniella speaks to the crowd in celebration of the 2001 Seattle Mariners team before a game with Texas Rangers at Safeco Field. The 2001 won team won 116 games. | James Snook-Imagn Images

On Saturday night, the Washington Commanders punched their ticket to the NFC Championship game by beating the injury-ravaged Detroit Lions at Ford Field. For Washington, it's the first trip to the conference title game since 1991, meaning that the Dallas Cowboys now have the longest championship game drought in the NFC (1995).

As the Commanders exit the "championship game drought" list, the Seattle Mariners still painfully remain, as James Smythe of the YES Network reminds us on Bluesky.

NFL/MLB/NBA/NHL
Longest Drought Since Last Final 4 Appearance

Wizards 1979 season
Hornets (never, est 1989)
Browns 1989
Commanders 1991 (OVAAAAH)
Pirates 1992
Dolphins 1992
Reds 1995
Cowboys 1995
Knicks 2000
Blue Jackets (never, est 2001)
76ers 2001
Mariners 2001

For those scoring at home, the Mariners championship series drought is shorter than only the Pittsburgh Pirates (1992) and Cincinnati Reds (1995) as far as Major League Baseball goes. The M's advanced to the ALCS in 2000 and 2001, only to fall short against the New York Yankees both times.

Seattle was beaten in five games in that 2001 season despite winning 116 games in the regular season. The M's last made the playoffs in 2022, representing the only time they've been to the playoffs since that 2001 season. They were swept in the American League Division Series by the rival Houston Astros.

With spring training rapidly approaching, the M's don't have the look of a team that can break that drought in 2025, either. They still have elite pitching, but there are questions about pitching depth and there are also still massive questions about the offensive productivity and the makeup of the infield.

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