‘I haven’t felt this excited in a long time,’ Mariners announcer exclaims amid franchise-altering win streak

The Seattle Mariners have won 14 straight heading into the All-Star break, and the clubhouse continues to feed off the most momentum T-Mobile Park has witnessed in nearly 20 years.

Only three teams previously had gone into the All-Star break with an active double-digit winning streak: the 1935 Detroit Tigers (10), the 1945 Chicago Cubs (10), and the 1975 Cincinnati Reds (10), according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

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Each of those teams went on to win the pennant that season, with the Tigers and Reds winning the World Series.

“Your Seattle Mariners have won 14 in a row, and 22 of 25. It’s the second-longest winning streak in our history. Longest winning streak this year matching the Atlanta Braves. These guys are magical,” Seattle Mariners announcer Rick Rizzs said on the Gee and Ursula Show on KIRO Newsradio. “Things like this don’t happen in baseball. It’s too tough to win game after game after game after game. Everything has to go right, but everything is going right and they’re so much fun to watch. And I’m so happy for them, happy for Ty France who finally made the All-Star team before the ball game yesterday.”

The Mariners will try to match its franchise’s record of 15 wins in a row Friday against the division-rival Houston Astros at home in front of a sold-out crowd.

We’re going for 1️⃣5️⃣ in front of a SOLD-OUT crowd on Friday night!

Help us keep it rolling all homestand long.

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) July 18, 2022

Seattle is now 51-42 and just a 1/2 game back of the Tampa Bay Rays for the top wild-card spot. They’re nine games back of the Astros for the AL West Division lead.

“I haven’t felt this excited in a long time. You know, in 1995, 13 games out of first place on August 1, the way they came back and the way they did it so late in the season to keep winning and get to the playoffs for the first time, that was magical and it saved the franchise,” Rizzs said. “It kept the Mariners in town because of that run and in 2001, they didn’t lose a game back-to-back until the middle of August. They were so good. They were so consistent. But it’s obviously been a while, we haven’t been to the playoffs in a long time.”

Home Run Derby Primer: Mariners’ Julio Rodríguez in 8-man field

AL Rookie of the Year favorite Julio Rodríguez will participate in tonight’s Home Run Derby. He will then be joined by teammate and first time All-Star Ty France for Tuesday’s All-Star Game.

Listen to Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin weekday mornings from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.