The magic number the Mariners need to make the playoffs

The Mariners lead in the American League West with a three-game margin and are now achingly close to a division title.

And if they clinch that this week, it will be their first division title since 2001. Kim Malcolm spoke with Washington Post sports columnist Jerry Brewer about their chances.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Kim Malcolm: I have to know the answer, Jerry — is this real life? Is this actually happening?

Jerry Brewer: It is actually happening, Kim. They're the ultimate team that you didn't want to like and have too much faith in, because you were afraid they were going to break your heart. And so to see them late in the season take control and put themselves in a position, not only to make the postseason, but to win the division and set themselves up to make a real playoff run. That's just tremendous, because now in these final six games, they still got work to do, but the workload is light enough that they can think about positioning themselves so that in the next week or 10 days, they have optimum health, and that they have their pitching rotation set so that they'll be in a position of strength going into the postseason, instead of being a team that got in on the last day and are really just trying to rev up again when they're a team that's exhausted.

OK, Jerry, break it down for us. How many games do they need to win in order to get to the postseason, whichever path that happens to be?

Well, Kim, we're not even going to think about the alternative if they don't win the division, okay? By sweeping the Astros they put themselves in a really strong position, and they need to get this done. The Mariners magic number is three. That means they need any combination of wins or Astros losses over the next six games for them to win the division. So in essence, if they win tonight, their magic numbers down to two. If the Astros also lose their magic numbers down to one, and they could clinch the next day. The next three days, they could be popping champagne, pouring beer on each other and celebrating with the home crowd.

We can't not talk about the 2025 season and not talk a little bit about Cal Raleigh, what he means to this team and what he's accomplished. What is Cal Raleigh doing right now?

It's just the phenomenal, offensive, all around season for a catcher. And for someone who doesn't take many days off, the fact that he hasn't worn down or really taken a dive at any point, this season is tremendous. There was a time when all the Mariners really had was his power. It's the best season the catcher has ever had hitting the long ball. It's tied for the 12th most home runs in a single season in baseball history. And you have to remember, Kim, that the top six seasons all came from Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa. So I think a lot of people who follow baseball think about perceived clean era, perceived steroids era, and you could make a strong case that Cal Raleigh, just in hitting home runs, has had one of the top six legitimate home run hitting seasons in baseball history. I personally think that Cal Raleigh should be the American League's Most Valuable Player.

OK, before I let you go, any last words of advice for neurotic Mariners fans?

Just enjoy the ride. This team, unlike recent seasons where you were hoping that they had enough, this team has enough. I don't know that I see World Series DNA in this team, but I don't know that I see World Series DNA in any team in the American League. It's wide open, and the Mariners are the hottest team in baseball right now, and the chase continues. So you should enjoy it.

Listen to the interview by clicking the play button above.