It was nail-biting, gut-wrenching, gloriously exciting playoff baseball at its finest — and most excruciating.
It was a taste of what Seattle has been missing. Scratch that — a glorious, sumptuous feast in which every at-bat, every pitch crackled with meaning and tension, and the possibility of a hero’s turn.
As Mariners players shared hugs and fought back tears after their 18-inning, 1-0 loss at T-Mobile Park to Houston that ended their breakthrough season in a mixture of massive frustration and overwhelming pride, they had unanimity on one thing.
This playoff business is addicting. And now that they got a taste of it, they want more. And next time, they plan to make it last longer. (...)
Never before in the history of baseball had a postseason game gone so long — 17 innings — without a run being scored. Only twice had a postseason game gone longer on the clock — six hours and 22 minutes. But those who think a scoreless game is boring didn’t see the one the Mariners played against the Yankees in August, and certainly not this one. It was riveting stuff, even as the frustration kept mounting. The raucous crowd of 47,690, which kept trying to will the Mariners to victory, wanted desperately to erupt but never got the key hit that would have extended the series until Sunday.
by Larry Stone, Seattle Times | Read more:
Image: Jennifer Buchanan / The Seattle Times
[ed. What a game! Lots of heart. See also: The Mariners’ season didn’t end how they wanted, but they have plenty to be proud of (Seattle Times).]
