Seattle Mariners' Top 10 Moments of the 2014 Season

Despite falling just short of making the postseason, the Seattle Mariners had an exciting 2014 season.

The Mariners were in contention for the AL Wild Card until Game 162 of the year and were relevant well into September for the first time in several seasons. The wild-card race provided several thrilling moments for a fanbase that hasn't had much to cheer for in quite some time.

Austin Jackson's stretch to beat out the game-winner in Game 161 and Logan Morrison's three-run home run in the ninth inning against the Los Angles Angels will be remembered as some of the top moments from the race in September. However, the Mariners provided thrills to remember throughout the year.

Ten of these moments stand out as the best, based on importance and the long-term impact on the team.

Honorable Mention

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

Dustin Ackley's home run robbery was the best individual defensive play of Seattle's season.

While these moments don't quite crack the top 10, they do deserve some recognition. 

Robinson Cano's first Mariners home run

April 17 vs. the Texas Rangers

The Mariners patiently waited 15 games for Robinson Cano to hit his first home run in a Seattle uniform. He finally delivered on April 17 in Texas.

The moment itself wasn't big, as the Mariners would go on to lose the game, but it was symbolic. Cano was fantastic in 2014 despite finishing the year with only 14 home runs.

Dustin Ackley robs a home run

July 21 vs. the New York Mets

In his first full season in the outfield, Dustin Ackley made the most impressive individual defensive play of Seattle's season.

Ackley robbed New York Mets catcher Travis d'Arnuad with an unlikely snow-cone catch over the left field wall. The moment wasn't huge for the team as the Mariners would cruise to a 5-2 win, but it stands out as an incredible individual effort.

After starting the year with an uncertain future, Ackley looks to have found a home in left field and hit very well in the second half of the season.

10. Kyle Seager's huge night in New York

June 2 vs. the New York Yankees

Seattle has known that Kyle Seager is a cornerstone of its franchise for a couple of years, but he got some national attention for his performance June 2 against the Yankees.

Seager had two triples, a home run and a double in Seattle's 10-2 rout of New York. It was the first time a player has had that stat line since 1973.

It wasn't a critical moment for the team, as the Mariners cruised to a win, and it wasn't even the defining moment of Seager's season. Still, a huge performance in Yankee Stadium deserves recognition and it may have solidified Seager's place in the All-Star Game.

As heard in the video above, it also produced Dave Sims' best home run call of the year. 

9. Justin Smoak's Diving Catch

April 25 vs. the Texas Rangers

It was a forgettable year for Justin Smoak. In what had to be his last chance in Seattle, Smoak hit .202/.275/.339 while losing the first base job to Logan Morrison in the process.

However, Smoak did provide one unforgettable moment. After Fernando Rodney allowed two runs and loaded the bases to whittle a Seattle lead to 6-5, Smoak made a great defensive play on an Adrian Beltre line drive to secure a win.

Smoak's time in Seattle is not going to be remembered fondly, but he did help the Mariners win at least one game.

8. Fernando Rodney Strikes out Nick Punto

July 11 vs. the Oakland Athletics

Seattle had quite a few “most important series of the last few years” over the course of the summer. The first of those was a three-game set right before the All-Star break against the A's, who were cruising toward the AL West title at the time.

Game 1 of the series matched up Felix Hernandez and Jeff Samardzija. After allowing two runs in the first, the Mariners did enough to scratch out a 3-2 lead heading into the ninth.

As he tends to do, Fernando Rodney made things interesting, allowing the tying run to get to third. Rodney then struck out Nick Punto on a pitch that probably wasn't a strike to give Seattle the win.

Not only was it an exciting and important moment, it provided one of the best GIFs of the season (via FanSided.com).

7. Home Runs Lead Mariners over A's

Sept. 12 against the Oakland Athletics

It was another one of those critical series against Oakland, except this time the Mariners were within striking distance of the A's in the standings.

After dropping an ugly series to the Houston Astros, Seattle hosted Oakland while trailing by one game in the wild-card race. It was the last series between the two for the season, meaning the weekend of Sept. 12-14 would go a long way toward determining a playoff berth.

The Mariners got off to a good start, beating Oakland 4-2 in the series opener. Robinson Cano, Logan Morrison and Kendrys Morales all launched home runs to lead Seattle to victory.

Unfortunately, the moment doesn't rank higher, as the A's would take the last two games of the series.

6. Back-to-Back Home Runs Beat Jon Lester

Sept. 3 vs. the Oakland Athletics

Felix Hernandez against Jon Lester with playoff implications was about as good of a matchup as the Mariners saw all season.

Seattle's ace was very good, allowing only one run on three hits, but Lester looked in complete control of the game for the first six innings. With a 1-0 lead heading into the seventh, it looked like Lester was going to cruise to a complete game victory.

Kyle Seager led off the inning with a home run to right. Then, even more surprisingly, Corey Hart launched a solo home run to left to give the Mariners a 2-1 lead and eventual win.

The Mariners took the series from the A's and closed the gap in the wild card to 3.5 games with the victory.

5. Felix Hernandez Strikes out 15

June 8 vs. the Tampa Bay Rays

While not necessarily the top moment, Hernandez's outing on June 8 was the top individual performance of the season for Seattle.

Hernandez struck out a career-high 15 while arguably looking more dominant than he had in any other start in his career. His changeup, already the best in baseball, looked particularly unhittable during the outing, as Rays manager Joe Maddon pointed out, via Greg Johns of MLB.com.

"I think he was even better than the perfect-game stuff. Better today than when he threw the perfect game in Seattle. His changeup, it was a fastball until the last second, and then it became a changeup. He was really good. His command was outstanding."

The Mariners would go on to win 5-0, although Hernandez would not be part of the decision. Hernandez's June 8 performance was the signature start in what could be a Cy Young season.

4. Logan Morrison’s Huge Three-Run Homer

Sept. 18 vs. the Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim

It wasn't mathematically a must-win game, but Sept. 18 was a game the Mariners desperately needed. Seattle had lost six out of eight and had Felix Hernandez on the mound against an Angels lineup that was filled with reserves after Anaheim had clinched the night before.

Things didn't go according to plan, as the Mariners could get nothing going off Wade LeBlanc, leaving the game tied at 0 in the ninth. Logan Morrison then stepped up and hit a three-run home run to lead the Mariners to an important win.

Morrison played very well down the stretch and has earned himself a starting job out of spring training next season. The Mariners would eventually fade on the following 11-game road trip, but Morrison gave them a little bit of life heading into it.

3. Five-Run Comeback Stuns Boston

Aug. 22 vs. the Boston Red Sox

Once again, Aug. 22 felt like a game the Mariners simply had to have.

Seattle had dropped a disappointing series to the Philadelphia Phillies directly before a three-game set in Boston. With the schedule about to get tougher, the Mariners needed a strong performance against the last-place Red Sox.

The Mariners spent the first eight innings generating nothing on offense. Down 3-0 with two outs and a runner on first, Seattle had no chance to win against Red Sox closer Koji Uehara.

Or so everyone thought. A walk, a double and three singles would give the Mariners a five-run ninth inning and a big win.

Seattle would take over first place in the AL Wild Card and go on to sweep the Red Sox. Still, two individual moments rank higher due to their overall importance to the season. 

2. Kyle Seager Walks off Against the Astros

April 23 vs. the Houston Astros

On April 23, the Mariners sat at 7-13 and had lost eight consecutive games. While it was too early to judge anything, Seattle certainly did not look like a ballclub that was going to compete for a playoff spot.

Kyle Seager then crushed a three-run walk-off home run to lead the Mariners to a 5-3 win, his second home run and fifth RBI of the game. It kick-started something in Seattle, as the Mariners went 37-25 between April 23 and the beginning of June to establish themselves in the playoff race.

Perhaps more importantly, it was the moment Seager turned his season around posting a .499 OPS prior to that point. Seager would go on to be named to his first All-Star team, eventually ending the season with 5.3 WAR.

It was only one win, but April 23 feels like a major turning point in Seattle's 2013 campaign. Seager's home run was as important as it gets for April, but one moment in late September carried more weight in the playoff race. 

1. Austin Jackson's Stretch

Sept. 27 vs. the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Austin Jackson was having a game to forget on Sept. 27.

The deadline acquisition had gone 0-4 with two strikeouts and seven men left on base entering his final at-bat of the game. With runners on the corners and one out in the 12th, Jackson grounded a ball to Angels second baseman Grant Green, who thought about throwing home for a fraction of a second.

That brief hesitation gave Jackson enough time to beat out a fielder's choice and give Seattle a win. Safeco Field roared louder than it had in years, as the Mariners would enter Game 162 with Hernandez on the mound and a chance to force a one-game playoff against Oakland.

For that, it deserves recognition as Seattle's top moment of the year.