Seattle Mariners Lost Their 100th Game This Season

Seattle, Washington -- Although the Seattle Mariners lost their 100th game of the season to the Los Angeles Angels, it was still a riveting game to watch. It was my first time to watch a baseball game in Seattle's Safeco field. The Seattle Mariners were up 5-2 at the sixth inning. Everyone anticipated a win for the Mariners.

Unfortunately for the Mariners (and their fans), Mark Teixeira's solo home run in the eighth inning gave the Angels the lead. The Mariners tried valiantly to regain the lead. The Mariners loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning. The crowd cheered as Ichiro Suzuki's turn to bat came. The cheering must have distracted him because he struck out. He was followed by Yuniesky Betancourt. The fans held their breath at another chance for a win. But it was not meant to be. He struck out as well. The Mariners lost 6-5.

Why did the Seattle Mariners lose to the Los Angeles Angels? Some say the team's manager, Jim Riggleman, should have given his starting pitcher, Felix Hernandez a rest after the three-run lead. Instead, Riggleman decided to allow Hernandez to play on in order to get his first 200-inning season. At the sixth inning, Hernandez needed one out in order to get his 200th inning. The unforeseen outcome? Three singles and a walk followed by a double play which resulted in a tie. Riggleman said, according to the Bellingham Herald, "After the fifth inning, I was thinking he could go seven - he's going to have three or four months to rest. It wasn't to be. The bottom of their order gave us problems and they wound up tying the game. That one out turned out to be a tough one to get."

Other critics say the Mariners need to improve the late-inning performance. During the season, the Seattle Mariners tied or had a lead in the seventh inning or later six times. The team did not win any of the games, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Or perhaps the Mariners did not want the win bad enough? Maybe they got used to their losses and it was just one more for them?

Whatever the reason, lets give the Seattle Mariners a break. So what if it is their 100th game loss and only the fourth time this has happened? There is always a next time. The Angels will be playing the Mariners on the 25th of September, closing a series of four games.