Oct. 3, 2021- It’s the top of the ninth inning as the Seattle Mariners were trailing the Los Angeles Angels 7-3. All 47,000 fans stayed on their feet, believing until the very last out that the team with a 20-year playoff drought was going to finally make their way into game 163.

Unfortunately, Seattle’s prayers were never answered when exactly one out into the ninth, the Boston Redsox defeated the Washington Nationals and officially eliminated any chances of the Mariners going to the postseason. As the crowd slightly lost their momentum, manager Scott Servais came out of the dugout and pointed to the third baseman, Kyle Seager.

Alex Zhang, a long-time Mariners fan sitting at the third-base side of the stadium, remembers the stadium atmosphere.

“Reality hit us when the scoreboard in left field labeled “F” meaning ”final” in the Washington against Boston game,” says Zhang.

However, the atmosphere shifted when Kyle Seager began to walk towards the dugout. “The fans immediately realized what was going on and gave a standing ovation,” Zhang says. The longtime Mariner was on his contract year with a chance of him not returning for the 2022 season.

Although he was given a farewell-like ovation, Seager’s time in Seattle isn’t officially at an end.

“He’s such a key piece of this team,” says Sho Takahashi, a long-time Mariners fan

living in Japan. “In a young team like the Mariners, a mentor like Seager becomes key when developing talent.”

Takahashi, however, does believe Seager is going to stay.

“That said, I think the Mariners really shifted their direction last year and are only focused on young talent. Besides, Seager’s contract is going to be too expensive moving on and I think the team has better ways to spend money if they’re going to make a true playoff run next year.”

A quick analysis of Seager’s 2021 season may force fans to reconsider Seager’s departure. His 35 HRs and 101 RBIs both were his career highs along with appearances in 159 games, it almost looks like he is hitting a late peak.

However, his batting average of .212 and OPS of .723 were due to him being unable to hit consistently which is something playoff teams value moving on. Will the Mariners extend Kyle Seager? Or say farewell to him for a younger future? Only the 2022 season will tell.