Seattle Mariners end longest playoff drought in American sports

The moment evoked memories of the Bills’ own drought ending in 2017

I’m going to let you in on an unimportant secret: despite all appearances, football is not my favorite sport.

That honor belongs to baseball, and last night was a big night in baseball. A pinch-hit, walk-off home run from catcher Cal Raleigh sent the Seattle Mariners to the postseason for the first time since 2001, ending the longest playoff drought for a franchise in the four major professional North American sports.

This was a monumental, made-for-TV moment, and both the Mariners and their fans have certainly earned the right to revel in it. Baseball playoff-clinching celebrations are always a sight to behold, and I’d highly recommend dropping by Lookout Landing and reading through the comments there to revel in this moment with them.

It was a moment that Buffalo Bills fans can certainly relate to. Less than five years ago now, the Bills ended a 17-season playoff drought of their own—and while it did not happen in quite as epic a fashion, the memory is no less memorable nor sweet for supporters of the team. Watching the Mariners and their fans celebrate last night, I found myself thinking predominantly of Andy Dalton and Kyle Williams.

Sports are awesome. I’m not a Mariners fan – in fact, the two MLB teams I support, Cleveland and Toronto, will directly compete with Seattle in the postseason in very short order – but even as an outsider, this moment was a ton of fun, and great for the game of baseball.

Here’s to hoping Bills fans can enjoy a moment similar to this in a few short months, with the end of a championship drought. The party for that one might be slightly more epic.