There goes a would-be American dynasty: Mariners defeat Anaheim for third day in a row, 3-2

This series set up two teams, each the other’s biggest rival, with the last Wild Card spot in their sights. It’s the stuff of which compelling baseball is made. And the teams haven’t disappointed, trading blows over each of the first three games, giving us the agony and the ecstasy that we come to sports for in the first place. And although both teams came into this weekend hanging onto their playoff aspirations with their fingernails, the Mariners have now won the series.

The game’s intensity started in the first inning, when Julio got spiked in the hand while trying to steal second base.