On Friday, Sept. 5, the Seattle Mariners were beaten 4-1 in Atlanta.

It was their fourth consecutive defeat, and their sixth loss in the last seven games. At that point, Seattle was five games over .500, 3.5 games back in the AL West and one game ahead of the Kansas City Royals for the third and final wild-card berth.

In other words: The Mariners were on pace to do what they’ve usually done in Jerry Dipoto’s time running this baseball franchise, which is tease you with a playoff berth just long enough to make it really hurt when they fell short.

What happened next was one of the single most exciting months in Seattle sports history. Seventeen wins in the span of 18 games. A catcher who broke home-run records, a centerfielder who showed why he’s one of the best players in the sport and a

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