On the anniversary of the Mariners ending their 21-year playoff drought, they begin a new one. We imagine this one will be shorter, but the counter has begun. The manner in which the final nail was struck hardly matters, although it was an odd one. After heading into the final couple weeks as a Cy Young contender, the Rock split open. Luis Castillo made every one of his 33 starts this year, and for the first 32, he pitched at least five innings every time. Only tonight could he not even make it out of the third, pitching cautiously to avoid getting killed by the Rangers’ potent offense.
Mariners playoff hopes end with a 6-1 loss to the Rangers
