Mariners Retrospective: If June 13, 2014 Had Gone Differently...

Apr 6, 2018
5 min read

What could’ve happened if we’d rolled that double play?

Baseball is a game of big moments and small moments. It moves through clearly defined periods of action: pitches, swings, and balls in play. Big decisions are decided by small calls that may be as close as an inch or as far as a mile: safe or out, fair or foul. These sharp, decisive moments are broken up by the white noise of a pitcher staring in for his sign, a mound visit, or a pitching change. Such segmentation forces the game to develop slowly, allowing for us fans to intensely dissect and analyze specific individual moments and analyze how they contribute to the game as a whole, or even the season as a whole. This also allows for speculation about what could have been if one moment went slightly differently. And that can lead to hours and hours of questioning what would have been.

That is exactly what this recurring column is about: wondering what could have been for the Mariners if one thing had turned out differently at different points in the team’s history. In each, I’ll set the scene for the moment, describe what really happened, discuss the moment of question, and then examine what might have played out if things had gone differently. And then shake my head in regret at participating in this depressing exercise.

The first “what-if” moment can be summarized as so: if the Mariners were able to successfully execute a 6-4-3 double play in the ninth inning on June 13th, 2014, they would have gone to the playoffs that year and then consequentially had one of the most fun rosters of 2016. They did not execute this double play, and Elvis Andrus scampered home for the lead and eventual win. The Mariners then finished one game back in the wild card race in 2014. So, hypothetically, if we are able to roll that 6-4-3 and win in the bottom of the ninth (or in extras), we finish tied with the A’s in the Wildcard and play a one-game playoff for the second Wildcard spot. This then would inspire faith in the ownership to stick with Jack Z and ol’ Lloyd through the 2015 hiccup-addled season and to drop some bags in free agency. Jack signs Bartolo Colon to bolster the back end of the rotation and drives up the brinks truck for Yoenis Cespedes to handle left field. The Mariners quickly become the most fun team ever. But of course, this is only if we roll up that 6-4-3 double play at home against Texas in June.

The year is 2014, Lloyd “George” McClellan (I know it’s McClendon) is the manager, Felix is a dominant ace and James Jones plays in over 100 games. On the evening of June 13th, the Mariners faceoff against the Texas Rangers at Safeco. Facing Felix is Nick Tepesch, whose name sounds more like a sound effect than a name. Things start off well for Felix: he cruises through 8 innings with minimal trouble. But Tepesch also thrives, only allowing two hits in over six innings to a Ners lineup that included Stefan Romero, Brad Miller and Cole Gillespie.

The game goes to the ninth scoreless. Felix records an out but then walks Elvis Andrus, who swipes second and third. After walking Shin Soo-Choo to put runners at the corners, Fernando Rodney comes in and gets his double play ground ball…but Choo slides hard into second, which allows hitter Adrian Beltre to leg out the fielder's choice and thus for Andrus to score. Joakim Soria comes in and shuts the door in the bottom half of the ninth and the Ners go home with the L.

So what might have unfolded if we could have rolled that double play? Let me hypothesize. Adrian Beltre does not leg out the fielder’s choice, Cano manages to throw him out through the slide. It goes to the bottom of the ninth, but Ron Washington doesn’t want to use his closer until the save is possible. He leaves in Shawn Tolleson, who promptly walks James Jones, who then comes around to score on a Robinson Cano double down the left field line. Felix leads the team out of the dugout to celebrate with Robbie – and the Ners go home with the W.

Now the rest of the season plays out the exact same as it did: the team survives a five-game losing streak at the end of September and win game 162 to hold onto a tie with Oakland for the final Wildcard spot. A single game pre-Wildcard playoff is to be played -- the biggest game the Mariners have played since 2001. But Felix had to pitch 5 ⅓ innings the day before. He isn’t available. Neither is Paxton. Hisashi Iwakuma would be throwing on three days rest -- he may available out of the bullpen. McClellan shows some cajones and hands the ball to Taijuan Walker, who fares fine against Jon Lester (remember when he was on Oakland?), managing to get through four innings only allowing a home run to Josh Donaldson. Iwakuma takes it from there and cruises until the final frame. Meanwhile, Lester struggles the third time through the order and Kyle Seager breaks the game open with a bases-loaded double. Fernando Rodney closes the ninth with a bow and arrow into the night sky…and Ners plays another day.

The real Wildcard game is slightly less in our favor. With no time in between games, the M’s have no choice but to go with Chris Young against James Shields (the good James Shields) and the Royals (the good Royals). Things do not go well for Young, who was skipped in his final regular season start, and Kansas City pulls away. Despite a solid effort by the Mariners bullpen, the Royals ' buzzsaw of 2014 shuts down the Seattle lineup and ends all hope for an ALDS and beyond.

Nevertheless, heads are high. The first playoff appearance for the Mariners in over a decade belies confidence going into the 2015 season.

However, the 2015 season proceeds similar to real life: the team underperforms the heightened expectations despite the addition of Nelson Cruz and pressure is on Jack Z and Lloyd. However, with a shiny “playoff” appearance now under their collective belts, they manage to hold on to their jobs through the season and 2016 looks to be their last chance. With his back up against a wall, Jack decides he has no other choice than to spend ridiculous sums of other people’s money in free agency. Showing a blatant disdain for injury concerns and a massive value on having a fun baseball team, Jack Z signs both Yoenis Cespedes and Bartolo Colon. Yoenis then alternates between hitting bombs and spending time on the DL, while Bartolo ambles through the year, anchoring the 5th spot in the rotation by going 12-12.

It is here where I will stop this exercise in hypotheticals and take stock of what just happened. What different direction might the franchise have gone if we had just turned that 6-4-3 double play in the 9th inning of June 13, 2014? Acquiring Big Sexy and La Potencia is swoon-inducing enough, give me one more second to continue to bask in this lovely alternate-Mariners universe.