I know it's over.
I know I wish that the Seattle sports media was heading east for a tiebreaker game on the journey of what could be something special.
Even if the Mariners fell just short of ending a 20-year playoff drought on the final day of the season it's not a time to be sad or down about it.
There's two takeaways from this, two things that mean the world to Seattle sports fans and the Mariners faithful.
Seattle Sports come together, Seager's emotional goodbye
It's okay to admit you were crying, thousands at T-Mobile Park were when Kyle Seager said goodbye presumably for the last time. By then the Mariners knew, their playoff hopes were dashed by New York and Boston winning their respective matchups on Sunday slamming the door shut on Seattle.
It was then that Mariners Manager Scott Servais emerged from the dugout to allow a standing ovation for Seager. A decade in Mariner blue, likely not returning to the team in 2022.
"That was pretty special for me" Seager said.
That was a real moment, I mean you know this moment's going to happen. You think about it, you think about how you're gonna feel but you can't prepare for that. That was really special and that was something I'll never forget."
Seager's moment, while coming in the final minutes of a season ending in disappointment showed how special this team was. As manager Scott Servais pointed out, back in May the M's had lost six straight and endured a COVID-19 outbreak on the team. They rallied to give Seattle something to cheer for right into the final game of the season. Some MLB cities might balk at ours enjoying this run and loving every moment of the M's making people smile.
That's okay, let them.
Seattle is special, the way our entire city rallied behind and for the Mariners showed true solidarity. It's something that makes our town special.
The tight knit sports community in Seattle is awesome, and it's only going to get better.
The Mariners future is bright, the drought WILL end soon
It's hard to look at next year too soon when the Mariners were so tantalizingly close to ending the drought this year.
But I'm telling you, this team could be even better next year.
Look no further than Jarred Kelenic, the rookie sensation was called up in the middle of the season was a huge part of the September surge to get into contention. You hate to lose a player like Seager, but this is a young team that is trending up any way you look at it.
The M's feature one of the best farm systems in baseball, Kelenic and catcher Cal Raleigh have already arrived at the show. Logan Gilbert is just 24 years old. You see the trend here? And we haven't even brought up some of the highest ranked prospects yet to make their Seattle debut in Julio Rodriguez, Noelvi Marte, Emerson Hancock and George Kirby. That's not to say all of those guys would make their debut in 2022---Marte for instance is just 19 years old. Matt Brash was in town to end the season and potentially make a playoff impact, Andres Munoz made his MLB debut in the biggest game of the season on Sunday.
Suffice to say the Mariners have brighter days---and maybe their brightest days ahead.
So be proud of your team Seattle, the Mariners will return to the playoffs sooner rather than later.