Halfway through the MLB 2022 season. The Seattle Mariners were looking unstoppable winning 14 games in a row at the All-Star break. They were put in tough situations down five runs with the two innings left to go or even winning in extra innings. No matter the situation the Mariners are making a statement. Their hitting has come up clutch multiple times this season, but there is one thing that cannot be undermined, the pitching. Everyone knows that defense wins championships. That being said, the Mariners’ pitching has been their MVP so far this season. Specifically three unsung heroes
Before explaining how the Mariners pitching performance has been so far this season, it’s important to compare the pitching last season before the All-Star break
2021 Pre-All-Star Break (91 Games)
The pitching for the Mariners before the All-Star Break in 2021 was nothing new, it was the same old bottom below league average. In the days between April 1st – July 13th, playing 91 games, the Mariners pitching had a stat line and league ranking of:
- 4.41 ERA (20th)
- Earned Runs: 391 (21st)
- 736 hits (20th)
- .244 opposing batting AVG (19th)
- Walks: 291 Walks (17th)
- Strikeouts: 746 strikeouts (tied for 22nd)
- Left on base (LOB) 43.3% (23rd)
- Strikeout Percentage: 22.1% (15th)
- Walk Percentage (Walks/Batters Faced): 8.6% (14th)
- WHIP: 1.29 (14th)
- Flyball Percentage: 38.8% (4th)
The stats listed above speak for themselves: below average, subpar, classic Mariners pitching. Although, surprisingly these stats led them to finish with a record of 48-45 at the All-Star Break. But how do these numbers compare to the pitching numbers that helped the Mariners finish eight games above .500 at the All-Star break? The numbers and ranking for the Mariners pitching in 93 games:
The 2022 Jump (93 Games):
- ERA: 3.53 (5th)
- ER: 324 (5th)
- Hits: 734 (13th)
- Opposing batting AVG: .236 (11th)
- Strikeouts: 787 (14th)
- Walks: 262 (tied 7th/Astros)
- Left on Base: 78.1% (2nd)
- Strikeout percentage: 23% (13th)
- Walk percentage: 7.7 (tied 7th w/Mets)
- Flyball percentage: 40.7% (2nd)
- WHIP: 1.20 (Tied 6th w/Padres)
From the stats listed above, there is a tremendous improvement in the Mariners’ pitching in 2022. In comparison to the numbers from last season, the team’s ERA dropped .86 points, a massive drop of earned runs of 67, and can’t forget about 29 fewer walks. Although the total hits seem to barely even change (although three more games have been played in 2022). One statistic that deserves more recognition is the Left on Base Percentage (LOB %). This stat measures the percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base throughout a season. The Mariners’ LOB % from 2021 to 2022 improved by 34.8 %. This could add some insight into why even though the number of hits is similar to one another, there are a significant amount of earned runs from last year. In other words, guys get on base from hits but are left on base. Not to mention that the Mariners have played three more games this year compared to last year. Now that the numbers for the tremendous 2022 pitching have been presented, it’s time to meet three unsung heroes of the Mariners MVP pitching: Robbie Ray, Logan Gilbert and Paul Seawald.
The Three Unsung Heroes:
Robbie Ray
Mariners acquired Ray as a free agent last off-season on a five-year $115 million contract. The former 2021 AL Cy young winner started slow finishing April and May with a 4.15 ERA and 5.34 ERA. Although come June he has been a different pitcher. He finished June with a 2.19 ERA helping him improve his ERA to 3.53 and a .211 opposing batting average. Ray is electric and is an ace for the Mariners that have been needing for years to contend. Ray has finished the first half of the season looking like his Cy Young self and proving why the Mariners deserved him to give such a large contract.
Logan Gilbert
The Mariners have a new young gun at pitcher with Gilbert. Drafted 14th overall in 2018, debuting in May 2021, Gilbert’s 2021 season was nothing amazing, but his game is different. The dude is a stud all season long showing flashes of superstardom. Gilbert holds a record of 10-3 with a 2.76 ERA (as of July 18th) winning American League Pitcher of the Month for April. Gilbert is an example of the young talent Mariners General Manager Jerry Dipoto is putting together for his rebuild blueprint. The sky’s the limit for Gilbert as he is only going to get better.
Paul Sewald
The starting rotation does not deserve all of the credit. Sewald and the bullpen squad have come through saving and closing out games multiple times. Sewald was tremendous for the Mariners last season in 62 games finishing with a record of 10-3, 3.06 ERA, 64.2 IP, 11 saves (SV), 42 hits (H), 24 runs (R), 22 earned runs (ER), 10 home runs (HR) HR, 24 walks (BB), 104 strikeouts (SO) and ERA 3.06. These are great numbers for a bullpen pitcher who the Mariners originally signed to a minor league deal. This year the Mariners have seen the same success from Sewald and even more some. His numbers in 37 games: 3-2 record, 2.45 ERA, 12 SV, 36.2 IP, 18 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 6 HR, 8 BB, 6 HR, 8 BB and 43 SO as of July 21. From just watching him pitch, Sewald doesn’t scream amazing, but he is talented at confusing batters whether he’s throwing a slider or a four-seam fastball. Sewald has more saves this season and is a big contributor to why the Mariners have been playing great baseball.
A New Hope
The Seattle Mariners had a 14-game winning streak heading into the All-Star joining a group of only three other teams who have gone into the break winning 10 consecutive games: The 1935 Detroit Tigers, the 1945 Chicago Cubs and the 1975 Cincinnati Reds. What did the three teams end up doing, how about winning the World Series. However, there’s no way of saying that the Mariners will win the World Series, although who says it’s not possible. If the Mariners keep up their MVP pitching starting and bullpen there is a lot to be optimistic about. More specifically, the Mariners’ future, but more importantly, clinching a 21-year-old playoff drought.
