{"id":482147,"date":"2026-02-21T15:21:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T15:21:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/482147\/"},"modified":"2026-02-21T15:21:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T15:21:08","slug":"mariners-using-2025-alcs-heartbreak-as-motivation-for-a-world-series-run-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/482147\/","title":{"rendered":"Mariners using 2025 ALCS heartbreak as motivation for a World Series run in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Seattle Mariners started things in Spring Training the right way, defeating the San Diego Padres in the exhibition opener, 7-4. Infielder Michael Arroyo, the M’s number 5 prospect, hit a home run and a double to pace the squad, as they look to return to the postseason in 2026. Most members of the team admit they are still feeling the sting of falling short in the American League Championship, but they’re using it as motivationfor the upcoming campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things our guys did very well last year is just being in the present moment,\u201d Mariners manager Dan Wilson said, according to a recent MLB.com article<\/a>. \u201cAnd right now, it\u2019s about preparing for what\u2019s ahead of us going forward. That\u2019s the approach we\u2019re taking. And I think in some ways, that sting does provide some motivation. But I think with all of us, it just doesn\u2019t do any good to dwell on. It\u2019s time to keep pushing for what\u2019s ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raleigh, coming off a season when he hit 60 home runs and finished second in the AL Most Valuable Player voting (behind Yankees outfielder and three-time winner Aaron Judge), looks even more determined than before. It seems the taste of success that Seattle sipped on in 2025 wasn’t quite enough to savor. The veteran backstop said his team has been waiting long enough to win a World Series. To paraphrase a classic 1989 song by Queen<\/a>: They want it all, and they want it now.<\/p>\n

Raleigh says he spent some time with Wilson during the offseason, as the two bonded over watching another Emerald City franchise achieve their ultimate goal.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been close for a while,\u201d said Raleigh<\/a>, who invited Wilson to multiple Seahawks games. The catcher was fully supportive of his team’s Emerald City neighbors during their Super Bowl run. \u201cSo it just feels normal. It\u2019s not weird or anything. You feel like you\u2019re bringing your dad. … We\u2019ve become very close.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mariners have bonded over their common goal\"Raleigh<\/p>\n

Feb 12, 2026; Phoenix, AZ, USA; A fan waits for Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (29) to sign an autograph at Seattle Mariners workouts in Peoria, Arizona. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images | Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

After being forced to sit back and watch the Toronto Blue Jays represent the American League in a losing effort against the Los Angeles Dodgers, fans in Seattle were sick to their stomach. That same sentiment was shared by the Mariners’ players and Dan Wilson. Following a sensational September, nearly everyone in, around, or following the squad in 2025 thought they were destined to reach the Fall Classic.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re all hurt from last year,\u201d Raleigh further discussed<\/a>, speaking for the vast majority of the M’s holdovers. \u201cBut you take that and use it as fuel… We want to be a perennial team where making the playoffs is just an afterthought in a way. We want to be there every year. We want to be competing for the World Series, winning the World Series, and that’s the expectation we want to have.\u201d<\/p>\n

SEE ALSO: Manager Dan Wilson says his Mariners have a ‘Good Feeling in Camp’<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Seattle Mariners started things in Spring Training the right way, defeating the San Diego Padres in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":482148,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[363,99],"class_list":["post-482147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=482147"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482147\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/482148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=482147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=482147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=482147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}