Wilson, who played for the Mariners when they won their previous three American League West titles, is now the skipper as the M's just captured their fourth division title in franchise history.
When the Seattle Mariners won the American League West championship on Wednesday night, manager Dan Wilson joined a rare group in baseball history, as noted by Sarah Langs of MLB.com:
Dan Wilson played for the Mariners when they last won the AL West in 2001. Now he manages them
He’s the 3rd individual to play for & then manage sequential division titles for a team, joining:
Craig Counsell MIL (2011 plyr, ‘18 mgr)
Bruce Bochy SD (1984, ‘96)
h/t @EliasSports
The Mariners, who enter play on Thursday at 89-69, just won the AL West for the fourth time in franchise history, joining 1995, 1997 and 2001. Wilson has been a part of each time.
Wilson's playing career
A 14-year veteran, Wilson spent 12 seasons with the Mariners and two seasons with the Cincinnati Reds. A leader behind the plate, he also made the American League All-Star team in 1996. A career .262 hitter with 88 home runs, he paired with Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez, Alex Rodriguez, Jay Buhner, Randy Johnson and Ichiro Suzuki to make up some of the most decorated teams in Seattle history.
As a manager
Wilson took over for manager Scott Servais in August 2024 after he was let go. He went 21-13 down the stretch, though Seattle missed the playoffs in the final weekend of the regular season. His overall record is 110-82, and though (like all managers), he's been maligned for some in-game decision-making, he's also been praised for his ability to handle people and manage the clubhouse.
Up next
The Mariners will look for their 90th win of the season on Thursday night when they take on the Colorado Rockies at T-Mobile Park. First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. PT and the Mariners haven't announced a starter yet, as of this posting.
Bryan Woo was supposed to start, but has been pushed back because of right pectoral inflammation.
Seattle is just one win, or one Cleveland loss, away from clinching a first-round bye in the looming playoffs. They still have an outside shot at the No. 1 seed, given that the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays are just one game ahead of them, though each of them has the tiebreaker.
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