No, Ichiro Suzuki isn’t coming out of retirement to be part of the Mariners’ playoff roster. The Hall-of-Famer played six innings in the outfield during a split-squad tune-up game yesterday at T-Mobile Park, adding some extra fun to the proceedings as the M’s got ready for the start of their ALDS matchup with either the Tigers or the Guardians on Saturday.
The final calls on the 26-man playoff roster won’t be announced until a few hours before Saturday’s game, and as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times notes, some of the Mariners’ decisions will likely depend on whether they’re facing Detroit or Cleveland. Perhaps the biggest roster question revolves about Bryan Woo’s status, but manager Dan Wilson said Woo is set to toss a bullpen session today.
“It seems like things are going according to plan,” Wilson told Divish and other reporters. “He’ll get off the mound on Thursday, and so getting a chance to hear how he comes back from that on Friday and whatnot….We’ll just a continue to take it day by day and assess. And I do believe that we’re in a good spot with that.”
The bullpen session will mark Woo’s first time throwing off a mound since September 19, when pectoral tightness forced him out of a start after five innings. The injury wasn’t severe enough to merit a placement on the 15-day injured list, though naturally the M’s are being as cautious as possible with a pitcher who has been Seattle’s most reliable starter in 2025.
No announcement has been made about the Mariners’ playoff rotation, as Wilson said those decisions will wait until they team knows their opponent and has more input on Woo’s availability. Assuming Woo is able to pitch, however, Divish doesn’t think the right-hander will work in either of Seattle’s first two games of the series. Based on mound work during Wednesday’s warm-ups, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert (in some order) could be the favorites to start Game 1 and Game 2.
The Mariners have long envisioned the idea of these two homegrown arms headlining a playoff series, ever since Kirby was drafted 20th overall in 2019 and Gilbert was the 14th overall pick of the 2018 draft. As MLB.com’s Jim Callis writes, team scout Rob Mummau played a big role in convincing the M’s to select Gilbert, whose stock had somewhat dropped after an ill-timed bout of mononucleosis during the spring before the draft.
The focus of Callis’ piece is on Mummau’s real find of the 2018 draft, as the scout’s glowing reports led the Mariners to take Cal Raleigh with their third-round pick (90th overall). Raleigh wasn’t a complete diamond in the rough, as the M’s had to pay Raleigh $221.3K over the slot value of the 90th overall pick to convince Raleigh to leave Florida State after his junior year. However, while Raleigh was coming off a big season at FSU, his draft stock had fallen due to an unimpressive sophomore year.
Mummau (who had some past ties to Raleigh’s family) knew that Raleigh had been dealing with a thumb injury that season. As a result, Mummau’s grades on Raleigh’s offensive and defensive tools were notably higher than other scouts, who projected Raleigh as a part-time starting catcher at best. It was enough for the Mariners to make the pick and the rest has become history, as Raleigh has exceeded all expectations to become a superstar on both sides of the ball.
Well, they’ll have to win at least 60% of their games in the ALDS and if they’re fortunate enough to clear that hurdle, they’d have to win at least 58% of their games in all remaining series. All against teams with big ol’ winning records. But some team is going to win it all, right? Why not us?
Ichiro’s gonna come out of retirement solely to prove to that one voter that he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
Oh, let it go. The gimme generation strikes again, May I remind you that Henry Aaron wasn’t on 9 ballots. 10 people didn’t vote for Bob Feller. 20 didn’t vote for Ted Williams, 23 didn’t vote for Willie Mays and a whopping 64 didn’t vote for Warren Spahn. It happens.
lowenstein, mistakes of the past should not justify mistakes in the present.
And all of those were also dumb voters
He just wants you off of his lawn.
Jeter is suiting up now and will start at SS tonight.
That old man would need a hip replacement after he played this year. Then his avg D would be impacted by slowness. Eyesight is gone so can’t hit now. Yes I said it avg D. You Yankee fans are always overly enamored with your own stars. Surprisingly havent heard that Seattle should trade any of our stars to you. Felix was always supposed to be a Yank according to fans. I wish our team was better he gave it all for Seattle and never was given a winning team. Mostly just having fun Jeter was pretty good but it just seems natural to give NY fans doodoo.
Loved King Felix. Should’ve been a HoFer.
Bring on the doo-doo, compassrose.
2 out of 3 at home and .500 on the road. If Seattle pulls this off, it’s over.
Same for every team in the playoffs it’s not a Seattle exclusive recipe lol
Tigers win in 5! Kerry Bonds continues with the hot bat.
Just walk him…like Bonds.
Mariners are the scariest team in the AL. Should be a hell of a series!
Super paranoid that the long bye week and opening at the morgue which is bone-chilling T-Mobile Park will result in the offense coming up tepid. Tigers will be coming in with some enthusiasm and not having sat around for a week contemplating navels. One positive to take away is that Mariners have already beaten Skubal twice this year with an ERA in the 5’s. He shouldn’t be getting into their heads as some indomitable pitching maestro. Skubal has looked very human and very flummoxed against M’s in 2025.
It’s going to be an interesting series. Looking forward to it.
Sounds like a jinx to me
Skubal probably goes 7 shutty now
Hey! Please don’t will it into existence
Sept wasn’t impressive for DET, going 7-17.
Although DET won in CLE, it took Tank Skubals 14Ks with little run support and finally turning the carousel on in the 7th yesterday.
Before the late innings rally, DET only managed 4 runs through 2.5 games and were 3-for-28 with RISP.
With those kind of numbers, it looks like their Sept woes are bleeding into Oct.
On the other hand, SEA going 17-8 in Sept is a great way to start Oct baseball but a layoff could kill any momentum created.
M’s went 4-6, including a sweep, over the Tigers but that was in the 1st half, both teams were different then.
Many better record teams have been eliminated after a bye so hopefully the rest doesn’t kill the Sept momentum.
Looking at standard batting/pitching/fielding stats, the two are very close number wise so it will come down to the (rested) hot team, as it normally does.
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I’m a Tiger fan but I wouldn’t mind seeing the Mariners go to the World Series. They’re the only team in MLB that has never been to the WS. They’re came close in 2001. I still wonder why Lou Piniella, an outstanding manager, kept with Aaron Sele even after it was obvious the Yankees had his number.