Seattle welcomes 支援する プレーオフs, M's, try to skip 排除／予選
SEATTLE (AP) - There was bunting draped off the railings in October and logos painted on the grass of T-動きやすい Park on Friday that were absent for the past two １０年間s when the Seattle 水夫s were stuck in baseball purgatory, left as a 観客 every postseason.
Twenty-one years later, プレーオフ baseball is 支援する in the 太平洋の Northwest. But unless the hometown team can find some late 魔法, it may just be a one-day cameo for this year.
"I cannot wait to step on the field with them," Seattle 新人 Julio Rodr?guez said on Friday.
Rodr?guez was いっそう少なく than a year old the last time Seattle hosted a プレーオフ game, 最高潮の場面ing the 苦痛 and longing for fans in these parts who have waited since 2001 to see their ballclub host a プレーオフ game inside their ballpark. It´ll finally happen Saturday when the 水夫s 直面する Houston in Game 3 of the ALDS in what should be a cauldron of noise and energy.
But after a pair of agonizing losses to open the series in Houston, the 水夫s will be playing for their postseason 生き残り in the best-of-five series.
"The factor that I don´t think is getting talked about enough and I think it´s going to show up tomorrow on the first inning is when there´s 45,000 水夫 fans in the stands pumped and ready to go, and all behind us. Because we certainly need it," Seattle 経営者／支配人 Scott Servais said. "I talked about it when we clinched, ended the 干ばつ, how 価値のある our fan base has been to this team. This team really, somehow, we get wired, we get going when its loud here."
FILE - Seattle 水夫s' マイク Cameron, left, embraces チーム仲間 Ichiro Suzuki during their workout Monday, Oct. 8, 2001, in Seattle. An entire 世代 has waited for the Seattle 水夫s to bring プレーオフ baseball 支援する to the 太平洋の Northwest. After a 21-year absence, the postseason is 支援する in Seattle for Game 3 of the ALDS against Houston. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, とじ込み／提出する)
Seattle snapped the longest プレーオフ 干ばつ in the four major North American sports when it clinched one of the AL wild-card 位置／汚点／見つけ出すs on Sept. 30 thanks to Cal Raleigh´s walk-off ホームラン. And from the moment it became （疑いを）晴らす Seattle wouldn´t host game in the wild-card series, the 決起大会／結集させるing cry became getting to the ALDS to 確実にする 水夫s fans could once again experience the feel of postseason baseball.
Seattle´s last home プレーオフ game （機の）カム on Oct. 18, 2001. It was Game 2 of t he ALCS against the New York Yankees with the 水夫s coming off a 記録，記録的な／記録する-tying 116-勝利，勝つ 正規の／正選手 season.
Seattle lost 3-2 to the Yankees that day and never got another home game in the series losing to the Yankees in five games. At that time, the 水夫s appeared to be a juggernaut with two straight 外見s in the ALCS. Seattle went on to 勝利，勝つ 93 games in each of the next two seasons but neither time was it good enough to reach the プレーオフs.
And then the 底（に届く） dropped out of the franchise. Years of angst and 怒り／怒る and lots and lots of losing, leaving an entire 世代 無効の of seeing postseason baseball.
All of which will make Saturday a 祝賀 no 事柄 the circumstances 直面するing the 水夫s. It´s a day for the fans that made the "決起大会／結集させる shoe" a thing watching last 週末´s memorable 復帰 in Game 2 of the wild-card series against Toronto. Or the fans that danced with unbridled joy in the service area of a car dealership watching those final outs against the Blue Jays.
Or the ones that watched in anguish at Yordan Alvarez´s torment of the 水夫s in the first two games of the series, living and dying with each pitch in a way fans in these parts 港／避難所´t in a long time.
Even the starting 投手 for Houston - trying to end Seattle´s season on Saturday - has 評価 for seeing the 水夫s 支援する in the postseason.
"Moments like these where the fans get to come 支援する out and watch postseason baseball for an organization that hasn´t been there in a while I think is really 冷静な／正味の," Houston 権利-hander Lance McCullers Jr. said.
最終的に, it comes 支援する to what happens on the field and if Seattle is to 確実にする two home games are played this 週末, it must find a way to solve the combo of Jeremy Pena and Alvarez. That 職業 will 落ちる to 新人 George Kirby, who st arts for the 水夫s.
While Alvarez has 供給するd the biggest blows, it´s been the paper 削減（する）s of Pe?a that created those 適切な時期s. It was Pe?a´s two-out, two-strike 選び出す／独身 in Game 1 that 始める，決める the 行う／開催する／段階 for Alvarez´s game-winning ホームラン in the ninth inning.
In Game 2, Pe?a´s two-out bloop 選び出す／独身 into shallow 中心 field was the precursor to Alvarez´s two-run ホームラン in the sixth inning that gave Houston the lead for good. And for good 手段, Pe?a walked and 得点する／非難する／２０d an 保険 run in the eighth inning of the 4-2 勝利，勝つ.
"He´s doing his 職業. So far he´s been unfazed by the プレーオフs or anything," Astros 経営者／支配人 Dusty パン職人 said. "He´s a very 静める and 円熟した young man. Boy, I´m glad that he´s getting on in 前線 of Yordan."
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FILE - The Seattle 水夫s celebrate after （警官の）巡回区域，受持ち区域ing the Texas 特別奇襲隊員s 1-0 in Seattle, Oct. 6, 2001, their 116th 勝利，勝つ to tie the Major League 記録，記録的な／記録する with the 1906 Chicago Cubs for most 勝利，勝つs in a season. An entire 世代 has waited for the Seattle 水夫s to bring プレーオフ baseball 支援する to the 太平洋の Northwest. After a 21-year absence, the postseason is 支援する in Seattle for Game 3 of the ALDS against Houston. (AP Photo/John Froschauer, とじ込み／提出する)
Houston Astros 指定するd hitter Yordan Alvarez celebrates his two-run ホームラン against the Seattle 水夫s during the sixth inning in Game 2 of an American League 分割 Series baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Seattle 水夫s shortstop J.P. Crawford, left, 反応するs in 前線 of Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, 権利, after his 二塁打 during the third inning in Game 2 of an American League 分割 Series baseball game in Houston, Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
