THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: One M's managerial blunder after another

The fuss goes on over Dan Wilson’s decisions.

Rightly so.

The Mariners manager made a string of baffling calls all season, and frankly, it appeared that a shocking bullpen move on Monday night cost the club Game 7 of the ALCS.

As you know too well, this wasn’t just using the wrong pitcher on a sunny afternoon in Sacramento back in June.

No, this was managerial malfeasance, in a situation that cost the Mariners a shot at the club’s first-ever World Series.

Fans across the Northwest (and M’s supporters everywhere, for that matter) are still howling over Wilson’s choice of Eduard Bazardo to face Toronto assassin George Springer in the bottom of the seventh.

It’s tattooed in our heads.

Two-run lead.

One out.

Two on.

Springer, who had already battered Seattle in this series, walloped Bazardo’s second pitch — a sinker that drifted to the middle of the plate — into the left-field seats.

That three-run homer put the Jays up 4-3, a lead that became the gut-wrenching final score. 

Thousands, perhaps millions, of Mariner fans have made their anger with Wilson crystal clear.

The truth: Wilson is a great guy who might be in the wrong job.

HERE IS the real crusher in all the fuss.

The decision to go with Bazardo, who’d pitched nine times in this postseason (including two innings in Toronto the previous night), was likely NOT Wilson’s worst move with his pitchers in that game.

I know, it’s hard to imagine something more egregious than letting Andres Munoz sit uselessly as a spectator during a one-run loss, but … hear me out.

The true managerial suicide came earlier than summoning Bazardo and seeing that dream of a World Series disappear into the Canadian night.

No, the mistake that created a nightmare chain of events was yanking starter George Kirby after four innings.

Following a nervy first inning that required a bit of getting comfortable, Kirby was cruising by the time the Mariners built their 3-1 lead.

He’d thrown just 62 pitches, given up just two hits and, frankly, looked like he was flat-out cruising.

If this were a regular-season game, Kirby probably would have gone seven innings without much trouble — and THEN let the bullpen finish up.

Wilson, though, had a plan in mind.

Since he had rehabbing starter Bryan Woo available, Wilson went into the game determined to piggyback Kirby (four innings) and Woo (three).

He didn’t budge, even though Kirby was sailing along through four innings.

Now, imagine if he’d had an open mind, waiting to see if Kirby were sharp and hitting his spots.

George could have worked an easy five innings, with Woo (who threw 28 pitches in Game 5) pitching the sixth and seventh.

From there, Wilson would have had the hammer (to use a baseball phrase) and been free to make a choice between Matt Brash in the eighth inning and then Munoz to wrap up in the ninth.

Or.

He could have given Munoz the ball in the eighth, and told him to take the whole gang to the World Series.

YES, I think the screw-up removing Kirby was really the worst decision Wilson made — and basically caused the next blunder — I understand why fans have gone nuts over ignoring Munoz in the seventh inning.

In case you haven’t looked this up, the Blue Jays have looked foolish year after year against Munoz.

How foolish?

OK, the current Toronto roster was 2-for-30 against Munoz at the moment Bazardo took the ball.

Brash had been terrific as well (5-for-64), although Springer had an RBI double against Matt in Game 5.

Munoz?

Springer was (and remains) 0-for-3 in his career against Munoz with two strikeouts, while Vlad Guererro Jr. is 0-for-8.

Munoz, by the way, has not given up a home run to ANY of the 2025 Blue Jays.

Neither has Brash.

To be fair, Bazardo also had success in this series, pitching four scoreless innings until … you know.

Conclusion: If you’re an MLB manager and you want to sleep well, let your superstars decide your fate.

I mean, why in hell not?

Email: [email protected]

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press three times each week, normally Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”