When George Springer’s hit cleared the wall in left center, forty-eight years of Seattle futility became forty-nine. It turned a 3-1 Seattle lead into a 4-3 Toronto lead, that would be the eventual final score. 

With that, the Toronto Blue Jays are headed to the World Series to face the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Seattle Mariners are heading back to infamy.

Seattle remains in the small rank of professional teams that haven’t. They are the only team in MLB that hasn’t made it to the World Series. In the NFL, four teams haven’t appeared in a Super Bowl: Cleveland Brown, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Houston Texas. The Cowboys haven’t made it in many fans’ lifetimes, but they have made it. You’d can look it up. Go to the library. Their last Super Bowl appearance is there, on microfiche. You can read all about it.

In the NBA, five teams have never reached the Finals: L.A. Clippers, Charlotte Hornets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Memphis Grizzlies, and New Orleans Pelicans.

Five NHL teams have not made it to the Stanley Cup Finals: Winnipeg Jets, Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota Wild, Seattle Kraken, and the Utah Mammoth. Bonus points to Google for knowing there was an NHL team in Utah. 

While the World Series is going to be a matchup of the team with the best record in the American League and the team that won it last year, for Seattle, the heartbreak continues. 

Game 1 is Friday.

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