The Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees faced off at T-Mobile Park in Seattle from May 12 through May 14, 2025. The three-game series came at a time when both teams were dealing with numerous injuries to key players. While both clubs had similar win-loss records entering the series—Seattle at 22–17 and New York at 23–17—the real focus was on how each team could cope with missing talent and make adjustments.
The series featured scheduled matchups between Bryan Woo and Max Fried in Game 1, followed by Luis Castillo and Will Warren in Game 2. Each game was aired on MLB Network, ROOT Sports NW, and the YES Network.
- Marcus Stroman’s knee injury setback means he likely won’t hit 140 innings or earn his $18 million option.
- Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, and Giancarlo Stanton remained out during the May 12–14 series.
- The Yankees used backups like Will Warren and Ryan Yarbrough due to a thin pitching staff.
Mariners Dealt With Missing Starters But Found Stability
Seattle entered the series without several important players. Luke Raley, on the 10-day injured list due to a side issue, had been batting .206 with 2 home runs and 8 RBIs this season. His absence limited Seattle’s left-handed hitting options. More importantly, the Mariners were without Logan Gilbert, who was on the 15-day IL with a forearm injury. Before the injury, Gilbert had posted a 2.37 ERA and 13.1 strikeouts per nine innings.
George Kirby remained sidelined as well. The starting pitcher had not yet made an appearance this season due to a shoulder injury. Gregory Santos was also on the 60-day IL with a knee problem. He had allowed a 5.14 ERA in earlier appearances and recorded no strikeouts across those outings.
Trent Thornton missed the series while on the 15-day IL due to a stomach injury. Jackson Kowar, Ryan Bliss, and Victor Robles were all on the 60-day IL with injuries ranging from elbow and biceps issues to a shoulder problem. Robles had been hitting .273 in limited action before going down.
Yankees Entered Series in Deeper Health Crisis
The Yankees were missing even more players during the series. DJ LeMahieu remained on the 10-day IL with a calf injury. Jazz Chisholm Jr. also missed the entire series due to a side injury; he had hit 7 home runs and driven in 17 RBIs before landing on the IL. Marcus Stroman was unavailable, having suffered a setback in his rehab from a knee injury.
Before going on the IL, Stroman pitched 9.1 innings and allowed 12 earned runs across three starts, leading to an ERA of 11.57. The right-hander’s injury has contractual implications. Under the terms of his two-year, $37 million deal, Stroman would earn an $18 million player option for 2026 only if he pitched at least 140 innings in 2025. With the new setback, that milestone now appears out of reach.
Gerrit Cole was still out due to an elbow injury and remained on the 60-day IL. He is not expected to start throwing until August. Luis Gil, also on the 60-day IL, was recovering from a back injury and was not available during the series. Giancarlo Stanton stayed on the injured list with an elbow injury as well, and his return was not scheduled before May 24.
Additional Yankees on the IL during the series included Clayton Beeter (shoulder), Jonathan Loáisiga (elbow), Scott Effross (hamstring), Jake Cousins (elbow), and JT Brubaker (ribs). Several other minor-league options like Spencer Jones, Brennen Davis, and Jayvien Sandridge were not activated or available during this stretch.
Team Performance and Statistical Comparison Leading Into the Series
In the 10 games leading up to the Seattle series, both the Yankees and Mariners had records of 5–5. The Yankees’ offense had been more productive, especially with power. They had hit 19 home runs in that span compared to the Mariners’ 9. New York’s slugging percentage was .481, while Seattle’s was lower at .386.
Seattle had a higher team batting average at .259 compared to New York’s .246, but the Yankees had a better on-base percentage at .336. Seattle’s OBP was .319.
On the pitching side, the Yankees had a stronger ERA at 3.84 versus Seattle’s 4.69. Opposing batters hit just .238 against the Yankees, while Mariners pitchers allowed a .278 opponent batting average. The Yankees also had a higher strikeout rate, averaging 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings compared to Seattle’s 6.8.
