The Seattle Mariners closed out August 2001 with a rainy day loss in Baltimore, but it didn’t matter. Rosters expanded on September 1st and every other team in playoff contention brought up rookie hopefuls and prepared to secure their leads or make a run at division leaders while jostling for a Wild Card spot. The final month of the season was upon baseball, and with it, exciting playoff races.
The Mariners, however, were surrounded with no such excitement. Already with 96 notches in the win column, they held a 17 game lead over the Oakland Athletics in the American League West.