Mariners Moose Tracks, 10/2/24: Mariners Payroll, Pat Murphy, and the Gonzaga Bulldogs
The MLB playoffs are underway!
Good morning everyone! We’ve got one day of the MLB playoffs behind us. Here’s what you may have missed.
MLB Playoff Scores...
- The Tigers triumphed over the Astros in the Wild Card opener, earning a 3-1 road victory.
- The Royals blanked the Orioles in a sterling 1-0 win.
- An exhausted Mets squad managed to fight off the Brewers in an 8-4 series opening win.
- Michael King struck out 12 Braves en route to a 4-0 victory for the Padres.
In Mariners news...
- Ryan Divish at The Seattle Times reports that the Mariners ownership group now expects an uptick in payroll heading into 2025. It should be noted that much of that will likely come from arbitration raises for the likes of Randy Arozarena, George Kirby, Logan Gilbert, and Cal Raleigh, along with a built-in increase for Julio. But, this should quell some fears that the M’s will suddenly start shedding salary this winter for the sake of it.
- Go get ‘em, Dave!
The Hall of Fame announces the 10 finalists for the 2025 Frick Award, presented annually for excellence in broadcasting:
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) October 1, 2024
Skip Caray, Rene Cardenas, Gary Cohen, Jacques Doucet, Tom Hamilton, Ernie Johnson Sr., Mike Krukow, Duane Kuiper, Dave Sims and John Sterling.
The winner…
Around the league...
- You might not be very familiar with National League Manager of the Year favorite Pat Murphy of the Brewers, but he’s got a remarkable story as chronicled by Cody Stavenhagen at The Athletic. ($)
- Carlos Marcano at Baseball Prospectus gave his heartfelt farewell to the A’s in Oakland. ($)
- It really is amazing how one extra loss makes the difference in how people react. You could argue the same for the Mariners, had they just won two more games the conversations would be vastly different (of course, the counter is that they didn’t, and so here we are).
The finger pointing has begun:
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) October 1, 2024
In the aftermath of missing the postseason, Arizona Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick blasts the signing of starter Jordan Montgomery to a two-year, $47.5 million contract, blaming himself for making the recommendation to the front office late in…
- Justin Verlander is officially washed (this might be the 18th time I’ve said this, but this time I mean it!)
Justin Verlander did not make the Astros’ Wild Card Series roster.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) October 1, 2024
Anders’ picks...
- In massive local college basketball news, the Pac-12 Conference announced that Gonzaga is joining the league as a full member in 2026, a huge boost to the recently-gutted league as it attempts to complete its rebuild. Since the Zags don’t have a football program, the P12 still needs one more football member to be deemed an eligible league.