“It’s time to win,” said Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford at a media event in January, prior to the beginning of the 2021 season.
Back in January, players like Crawford and Marco Gonzales were already making it clear that they believed they were ready to compete for a postseason spot.
“With the young talent that we have and the culture that we’ve begun to create here, we are on our way,” said Gonzales at the same event. “That’s where the expectation lies right now. I won’t settle for anything less.”
And they backed it up on the field, winning 90 games for just the 6th time in club history and for the first time since 2003.