What Does a Bay Area Native’s Return Mean for the Mariners Pitching Staff?
Seattle has been waiting for this type of playoff run from the Mariners. It has been in the cards since early in the season, but it has finally happened. Yet despite their hot streak, since mid-September, they have been without their most consistent starter this season, Bryan Woo. Woo was one of the notable names unable to be part of the Mariners’ AL Division Series roster against the Detroit Tigers due to injury. He suffered from pectoral tightness and has been shelved for nearly a month.
Woo is yet another player with strong Bay Area and California ties. In 2018, he graduated from Alameda High School and played three years for the Cal Poly Mustangs before entering the MLB Draft. He ended up a sixth-round selection by the Mariners in 2021 and made quick work of the minors, arriving at the big league level in June 2023. Woo had a mediocre 2023 campaign, logging four wins, five losses, and a 4.21 earned run average over 18 starts, struggling to find consistency.
He has steadily improved since then, eating up more innings and lowering his earned run average. Last year, in his first full season, Woo collected nine wins, three losses, and held a 2.89 earned run average through 22 starts. Fast forward to this year, he had a breakout season, quietly becoming one of the best pitchers in the American League and earning his first selection to the American League all-star team. Over the course of 30 starts, Woo reached a new level of dominance and consistency, compiling 15 wins, seven losses, a 2.94 earned run average, and throwing 186.2 innings. He placed fourth for wins and seventh for innings pitched among American League pitchers.
Now, Woo is healthy again and on the Mariners’ American League Championship Series roster. He will look to build upon both his regular season and what his teammates have established so far in the playoffs. Even though the Mariners had to use Logan Gilbert and Luis Castillo in the record-shattering 15-inning game against the Tigers, the Mariners' pitching staff seemed unfazed. The marathon game actually brought out their best form. The Mariners stole both games to start the ALCS in Toronto against the Blue Jays in impressive fashion, holding them to a total of four runs in two games. At this pace, they do not need to rush Woo back to start Game Three or Four. He could start Game Five or simply come out of the bullpen as needed. They could try placing in a late-inning relief or closer role like the Dodgers are doing with Roki Sasaki, but too much movement or unfamiliarity could tip the pitching staff’s consistency in the wrong direction. Regardless of what role he will be in, Woo is waiting in the wings for his postseason debut.
