The Mariners missed the playoffs, but they’re still celebrating in Seattle

The Seattle Mariners didn’t make the playoffs, but you wouldn’t know it by how they were celebrating in Seattle.

The surprising Seattle Mariners were still alive for postseason contention entering play Sunday. They didn’t make it, of course. The Oakland Athletics beat the Texas Rangers and (finally) sewed up the AL’s second wild-card berth.

But the Mariners were close. Closer than a whole lot of people thought. They’re not playing baseball in October, but they finished the season 87-75, not as a team that spent a bunch of money on Robinson Cano and still couldn’t sniff the playoffs, like a lot of pundits predicted.

While finishing a game out of the playoffs might lead to bitterness, the Mariners were still psyched after beating the Los Angeles Angels. Just look at relief pitcher Tom Wilhelmsen peel off some of the best dance moves we’ve seen in baseball this season.

Seriously, hit the play button. This is sure to make you smile.

The A’s had clinched their playoff spot before the Mariners finished, so Seattle knew its fate midway through the game. An Oakland loss and a Mariners win would have forced a tiebreaker on Monday. Rather than being bummed, the Seattle crowd was plenty appreciative of the season the Mariners had.

From columnist Jerry Brewer at the Seattle Times: 

The fans stood and cheered, long and loud. The Mariners were halfway through their season finale, and hope had expired in the 11th hour, but there was a celebration anyway.

A celebration of the Mariners’ progress in 2014. A celebration that, finally, baseball matters in Seattle again. A celebration of a bright future that no longer requires blind faith.

“It was one of my proudest moments,” manager Lloyd McClendon said. “I thought it said a lot about our fans.”

Just look at the ovation and curtain call they gave ace (and AL Cy Young favorite) Felix Hernandez when he was pulled from the game. En route to his 15th win, King Felix also locked up the AL ERA title.

As the famous quote goes, humble in victory, gracious in defeat. Well done, Seattle.

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Mike Oz is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz