The Mariners embarked from Seattle to New York off maybe its most defining series of the season to that point, a four-game split at home against the Red Sox in which the Mariners won two of the first three games and had maybe its most defining win to that point in a furious comeback victory over the Red Sox.
Their record was 46-26 heading to the Big Apple. They were only two games back of the Houston Astros for the American League West lead and a double-digit lead on the afterthought Oakland Athletics (who were a .500 team at the time).