One week into the 2022 playoffs, we've seen plenty of exciting games and even a couple historic ones -- and we've learned that the Seattle Mariners, who waited 21 years to return to the playoffs, would waste no time at all in recording two of the more dramatic games in postseason history.
On Saturday, the Mariners rallied from an 8-1 deficit to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 10-9 and sweep their wild-card series. It tied for the second biggest comeback in playoff history. The rally shoe became a thing, and security cameras captured employees at a Toyota dealership in Seattle dancing in jubilation.
Then, in the first game of the American League Division Series against the Houston Astros on Tuesday, Yordan Alvarez hit a two-out, three-run, walk-off home run to give the Astros an 8-7 victory. It was just the fourth come-from-behind walk-off home run in postseason history and the first that came while trailing by multiple runs, making it the most impactful hit in playoff history in terms of winning a single game -- surpassing Kirk Gibson's home run off Dennis Eckersley in the 1988 World Series. Shoes were undoubtedly thrown in frustration, and the only dancing came in Houston.
Welcome to October, Mariners fans.
Alvarez's home run off Robbie Ray is the biggest moment of the postseason so far -- but it also ties neatly into one trend I've noticed through the first week's worth of games. Sure, we're still in the middle of the division series showdowns, but let's take stock of some of the early playoff keys and trends from the last seven days.