All eyes on Seattle Mariners in wild finish to American League West and Wild Card

In what should be an insane final week on the road to the American League West title and final shakeout of the AL side of the 2023 MLB postseason bracket, all eyes will be on the Seattle Mariners.

Entering play on Monday, the Seattle Mariners are one of three teams still alive for the AL West title, joining the Texas Rangers (who lead division by 2.5 games) and the Houston Astros (the team in between Seattle and Texas in the division standings, with the Mariners 3.0 games back). However, it’s no exaggeration to say that the road to the division title and the postseason runs through the Emerald City this week.

Why all eyes are on Seattle Mariners this week

Much like earlier in the season when the All-Star Game was held in Seattle, the eyes of the MLB world will be focused on the Pacific Northwest beginning on Monday night. That’s when the Astros and Mariners start a three-game series that could well be an elimination battle between the two clubs (depending on what Texas does, of course, when the Rangers kick off a three-game road series against the Los Angeles Angels).

Seattle has won eight of its 10 matchups already this season against the defending World Champion Astros, securing the tie-breaker should the two teams be deadlocked for a playoff spot at the end of the season. However, past success goes out the window in a three-game set that could decide which team will end up with the postseason advantage.

On Thursday, after the Astros have left town, the Rangers visit Seattle to open a four-game series that will likely also have major implications on the postseason. The Mariners are just 1-8 against Texas this season and are coming off a weekend sweep by the Rangers in Arlington.

Heading into Monday, FanGraphs gives the Rangers a 97.2 percent chance to make the postseason, while Houston has a 60.0 percent chance and Seattle has a 45.2 percent chance. Of course, the Mariners have every opportunity in front of them to change those odds and grab a spot in the postseason as the road to meaningful October baseball runs through T-Mobile Park this week.