The Seattle Mariners absorbed the worst defeat in their 50-year history on Aug. 18, falling 22-0 to the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. The shutout ties the modern-era MLB record for the largest blanking since 1901.

It was that bad.

The Brewers, owners of baseball's best record at 78-48, pounded out a season-high 22 hits. According to Sportsnet, Christian Yelich, David Hamilton and rookie Luis Lara each launched three-run homers. Jake Bauers added a two-run shot, his team-leading 22nd of the year. Lara's blast, off position player Leo Rivas in the eighth inning, was the 21-year-old's first career home run.

The lowlight for local fans came in that same eighth inning. With Seattle already down 19-0, center fielder Julio Rodríguez caught a Yelich fly ball with the bases loaded and one out, then casually tossed the ball into the stands, thinking it was the third out. It wasn't. Two runners scored on the mental error per MLB.com, pushing the deficit to 21-0.

Rivas, pressed into pitching duty, allowed nine runs on nine hits that inning. According to KIRO Newsradio, he threw 22 pitches clocked under 40 mph, the only time that has ever happened in MLB history.

"It just got out of hand," manager Dan Wilson told reporters afterward. "They put up a lot of runs tonight, and we were quiet offensively. It's a tough one to even think about."

The 22-run margin eclipsed Seattle's previous worst loss, a 21-1 defeat to Houston on Sept. 8, 2019. The only other 22-0 games in the modern era were Pittsburgh over the Cubs on Sept. 16, 1975, and Cleveland over the Yankees on Aug. 31, 2004.

Yet the playoff math hasn't collapsed. As of Thursday, Aug. 20, the Mariners sit at 60-68, three games back of the AL wild card and four games behind Houston in the AL West. KIRO Newsradio co-host Gee Scott pointed out on his Thursday, Aug. 20, broadcast that the Angels and Athletics remain weak enough to keep Seattle's path open.

"As nasty as that loss was, as nasty as the team has been playing … they are still four games back in the division, three games back of the wild card," Scott said.

The stakes extend beyond the standings. USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported Sunday, Aug. 16, that Wilson is expected to be fired if the team misses the postseason. Wilson led Seattle to a 90-72 record and the AL West title in 2025, the franchise's first division crown since 2001.

The Mariners bounced back Wednesday, Aug. 19, with a 7-5 win over Milwaukee. They open a home series against the Chicago Cubs on Friday, Aug. 21.