Are Mariners Actually Good? This Wild Stat Makes It Difficult To Tell

The Seattle Mariners are good, right?

Entering play Sunday, the Mariners (59-40) held the fourth-best record in Major League Baseball — although that’s still only good enough for the second American League Wild Card spot. Still, Seattle’s impressive record, coupled with the team’s clear talent, leads fans to believe the Mariners are one of baseball’s best.

But then there’s this stat, which The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal shared via MLB Network on Sunday:

This is amazing from @MLBNetwork research. #Mariners have -5 run differential, going for 60th win in 100th game today. No team in MLB history has ever won 60+ of first 100 games with a negative run differential. The 1954 Brooklyn Dodgers had lowest RD of any 60+ win team (+14).

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 22, 2018

That’s right: The Mariners have MLB’s fourth-best record, despite having been outscored by their opponents through 99 games.

Even if Seattle blows out the Chicago White Sox on Sunday to stave off history, the Mariners already have proven to be one of the most historically confusing teams of all time.