The Wild Card Standings look even better for the Seattle Mariners after the team beat the new york yankees on Friday night (Aug. 25). It took 11 innings to get it done, but the Mariners came up with a huge road victory to improve to 23-11 in one-run ball games. The 2-1 win was also a great way for the team to start off the important three-game series against one of the other American League Wild Card contenders.
The hero for the Seattle Mariners in this game was Yonder Alonso, who hit an 11th-inning home run off reliever Aroldis Chapman to give his team the lead.
The New York Yankees couldn’t push a run across against Mariners closer Edwin Diaz and Game 1 went to the visiting team. The teams have two more games this weekend, with a lot on the line when it comes to the Wild Card standings.
What does the AL playoff race look like?
Despite the loss, the New York Yankees still lead the American League Wild Card standings with a 68-59 record. As reported by Major League Baseball, the Minnesota Twins are two-and-a-half games behind them with a 66-62 record. The Twins beat the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday to move a bit closer to the Yankees and maintain their hold on the second Wild Card spot in the league.
The Seattle Mariners (66-63) are half a game behind the Twins and just three games behind the Yankees now.
The team moved a full game ahead of the Kansas City Royals (64-63), but the Texas Rangers (64-63) and Los Angeles Angels (65-63) are playing in a late game Friday night. That game will also have a direct impact on how the AL Wild Card standings look in the morning.
How does the National League Wild Card race look?
Over in the National League, the Arizona Diamondbacks (70-58) and Colorado Rockies (69-59) lead the Wild Card race.
Arizona is playing a late game against the San Francisco Giants on Friday, while Colorado already lost to the Atlanta Braves earlier in the day. Trailing both teams are the Milwaukee Brewers (66-62), Miami Marlins (64-63), and St. Louis Cardinals (64-63). The race hasn’t been very tight, but recent struggles by the Diamondbacks and Rockies could change that.
As for the Seattle Mariners, the Yonder Alonso trade continues to pay huge dividends, despite how well Boog Powell is playing for the Oakland Athletics. On Saturday (Aug. 26) Yovani Gallardo will take the mound for the Mariners against Sonny Gray of the Yankees. Game time is 10:05 a.m. PT and it’s going to be another important contest when it comes to the American League Wild Card standings.
