SEATTLE — It’s amazing how one swing of the bat can change everything.
On the larger scale, the Mariners were on the heels of losing two games in a row in this Championship Series, with neither loss being very close in margin. And here in Game 5, the Mariners ran the risk of losing all ALCS games at T-Mobile Park, trailing 2-1 entering the 8th inning.
For Eugenio Suarez, it meant something else. He loves Seattle and wants to do even more for this city since re-joining the Mariners at the trade deadline.
I mean, it’s a lot to be able to do — or have days like this, and for me, it’s very special. Emotions are always high. The crowd keeps us on the field, keeps us in the fight. They want all day to expect something good for us. And I’ve been waiting for games like this my whole career. Today, I had it. Today, I had it in front of our crowd, in front of my family, my two daughters, my wife, and the moment is very special right now.
How do you not love Geno Suarez?
Think about his journey since returning, maybe not staying on the incredible home run pace he maintained in Arizona, but he never wavered.
Much more importantly, he’s brought a constant presence to the clubhouse. Win or lose, there’s “Good Vibes Only.” He’s remained positive always and has been universally lauded as a leader on the team. For some fans who can only see some of the struggles he endured during the summer, Suarez’s historic moment does so much to illustrate just how that approach he’s always employed can work wonders.
My emotions right now are very high. I feel so grateful. God give me the ability to do something good for this city, and the vibe is always going to be high. Even when you’re struggling, you’ve got to keep your good vibes because it’s a gift. Today our vibe was so high. We know what is in front of us, and we want to take it. We’re not going to quit. We’ve been playing really good baseball. Today was special. We did really well with the little things that helped the team win. Like I said, it’s very special to be part of this organization,” Suarez said, adding something I found truly poignant, saying, “This game is beautiful, and it’s hard at the same time. You just have to keep going, you just have to work hard, never quit, never doubt yourself, and not put too much pressure because when you try too hard, that’s when you are not going to have good results. I’m the guy who just believes in what I can do, and I put everything on the field, and I expect to have good results every time.
Those results have the Mariners within one game of punching their first-ever ticket to the World Series. Something that would never be forgotten, but already the moment we saw in Game 5 of the ALCS? Nobody will ever forget that.
And it happened because Suarez never let the moment get away from him, even with those aforementioned struggles. He remained true to his game, mindset, and principles.
And it just paid off on the largest stage (to this point) in Mariners baseball history.