It was the Oakland A’s, the team the Mariners once led by 11 1/2 games in the standings, the team with the lowest payroll in baseball ($66 million), that was doing the partying.
The deciding moment came just about two minutes after the first pitch had been thrown Monday night at Safeco Field. A result from a game 3,000 miles away — a Yankees victory over the Rays — made it official.
Regardless of the outcome in the game between the Mariners and A’s, a postgame celebration for clinching a playoff spot would be held after the final pitch.