Seattle Mariners end longest playoff drought in American sports

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.