May 16-If it happens, it won’t be because of luck. It won’t be “good vibes” or “chemistry” or even desire. Nah, if the Mariners reach the playoffs this season, it likely will come down to pure, unbridled rage … from one Andrés Muñoz.
To talk to the Mariners closer is to interact with one of the sweeter players in baseball. He is never hostile, he is always honest, and if the native Spanish speaker isn’t sure his English response properly answered the question, he’ll follow up to make sure he did. But when he’s on the mound, he’s mad as hell – and he’s not going to fake it. Some athletes find their performances dip when they get upset. It’s part of the reason their competitors will talk smack. But like fellow Mariners pitcher George Kirby, Muñoz is glad to be mad out there. And that isn’t going well for opposing batters.
“When I am angry, when I’m like George, when I am like that I feel I am able to do better at everything,” said Muñoz, who recorded a five-out save Wednesday to help deliver Seattle a 4-2 victory over the Royals. “When I try to do 100 percent every pitch, that is when the results came.” There used to be a lot more clutter in Muñoz’s head when he would take the mound. He exercised more caution and thought more meticulously about his pitch location. Now, he said he just tries to throw the ball as hard as he can down the middle of the plate. And though he doesn’t want to hit it precisely in the middle, you get the idea. These days Muñoz – called Mooney by teammates and coaches – just unleashes fury. Sometimes it’s in the form of a triple-digit-mph fastball. Sometimes it’s in the form of one of the best sliders in baseball. Sometimes it’s in the form of his relatively new sinker. The trio of pitches have helped Muñoz compile a 1.47 ERA and seven saves over 18 1/3 innings this season. All in a time when the M’s have never needed him more. Remember, reliever Matt Brash was supposed to be vital to Seattle’s bullpen, but he hasn’t pitched an inning all season and just had Tommy John elbow surgery. Fellow reliever Gregory Santos has a lat injury that has kept him out all year as well. The ‘pen was going to be a concern anyway with 2023 standouts Paul Sewald and Justin Topa playing for other teams. But thanks in large part to Muñoz’s performance in the ninth and eighth innings this season, the M’s (24-20) still sit atop the American League West.
