This Valentine’s Day, I want to tell you about one of the most difficult relationships I have ever been in. I fell in love at a very young age and since then I have had plenty of ups and downs. The highs and lows I have experienced because of this love are something that is hard to put into words.

That love is the Seattle Mariners. I have had my heart broken by the Seattle Mariners so many times that I have had a hard time keeping track. 

One of the earliest pictures I have of myself is when I was a baby with my dad and grandpa and we are all wearing Mariners gear. Ever since then, it has been a rollercoaster of emotions.

One of my first memories of the Mariners (and this will be a recurring theme) is them missing the playoffs by a game or two. No big deal, right? They’ll make it next year, right? “Next year” ended up being 2022, when they broke their nearly 21-year-long playoff drought.

Being born in the good ol’ year of 2002, I felt like I grew up with the team in a way and that when they finally came of age and made the playoffs, it was like watching a dear friend grow up.

My emotions ran high over the summer for many years watching the Mariners play, getting my hat autographed by a slough of players, most notably “King” Felix Hernandez, was an exhilarating moment like no other.

But with every signed hat, there is a heartbreaking loss, hearing the news that Kyle Seager would be retiring was one of the toughest moments of being a Mariners fan. He was such a staple of the team and played for as long as I can remember up until his retirement last season (the season before they made the playoffs).

There have been many memorable characters over the years, such as closing pitcher Fernando Rodney, who constantly wore his hat slightly sideways on his head and would shoot an imaginary arrow into the sky after a win.

And I couldn’t forget about Dave Niehaus, my oh my, he was amazing. He brought so much life and energy into the game of baseball and can’t be forgotten when telling the story of Major League Baseball.

One of the worst heartaches the Seattle Mariners gave me came during the postseason (that’s right, during the postseason). The Mariners made the playoffs for the first time in my life in 2022 and it was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. The walk-off homerun hit by Cal Raleigh (aka Big Dumper) propelled the team into the playoffs for the first time since their record-setting 2001 season.

The Mariners had survived a wild card series against the Toronto Blue Jays in which they had a miraculous comeback by the skin of their teeth. Next up was the dreaded Houston Astros, the Astros hold a special place of disdain in the heart of most MLB fans, but especially Mariners fans.

There were two gut-wrenching moments of that series against the Astros, the first being Yordan Alvarez’s walk-off homerun in game one to give Houston a 1-0 advantage in the divisional round of the playoffs. The second was the 18-inning marathon that was game three in that series, the full-count home run by Jeremy Peña was one of the most brutal moments in my life as a sports fan.

However, with all of the heartbreak I have endured from my beloved Mariners, I truly believe the future will be incredibly bright. 

Julio Rodriguez is poised to be the best player for the Mariners since Ken Griffey Jr. (and that’s saying something) and the bullpen seems like it is going to be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. 

All we need is Kelenic to have a breakthrough year and I think the Mariners will be a dominant team in the American League.

Being a Mariners fan in the mid to late 2000s was a trying time, but I have a feeling that all of the loyalty that I and countless others have shown is going to pay off with a World Series victory within the next half-decade.

Mariners, I love you dearly, I will be true to the blue until the day I die.