📅 Thursday, Mar. 26, 2026
📍 T-Mobile Park
It’s so close. It’s so, soooo close. The scent of freshly cut grass. The crack of the bat. The slap of a 100 mph Andrés Muñoz fastball whizzing past the batter and into Cal’s glove followed by the deafening roar of the crowd celebrating another win. It’s the 2026 season, and the Mariners are this close to maybe, after 50 years, going all the way.
Welcome back to Seattle baseball. When they take the field in their home opening game against the Cleveland Guardians, the M’s will feel the eyes of nearly 50,000 fans eagerly anticipating the start of their race toward glory, just half a year after missing out on their first ever World Series by only eight outs. It’ll be a long seven months, but if Mariners fans have proven anything, it’s that they’ll stick around through thick and thin.
Speaking of thick, catcher Cal Raleigh just came off a legendary season, hitting 60 home runs and thus setting HR records for catchers and switch-hitters. (Sorry to previous record-holders Salvador Perez and Mickey Mantle, whoever they are j/k, but Cal’s just built different.)
Raleigh will be leading a team built to last: Julio’s still crushing it in center field; J.P.’s still holding down shortstop; and our starting rotation is the envy of the league. But also, let’s give thanks to the front office for ponying up enough to keep first baseman Josh Naylor around for the next five years, snagging left-handed reliever Jose A. Ferrer and snatching up power hitter/utility player Brendan Donovan from the Cardinals. (We must also bid adieu to the likes of Jorge Polanco and Eugenio Suárez; vaya con Dios.)
Spring training is underway and a million things could happen before the home opener on March 26 (e.g., let’s see what’s doing at second base), but you know I’ll be there, Humpy the Salmon plushie in hand, ready to believe. Let’s do this.
