Brewers squash Mariners for 22 runs as AL West hits new season low

There are painful losses, and then there is what the Seattle Mariners experienced Tuesday with a 22-0 thrashing by the league-leading Milwaukee Brewers.

Seattle, which entered play with a minus-23 run differential, walked out of American Family Field with a minus-45 mark that would rank as the third best in what has been an ignominious American League West division.

The 22 runs allowed by four Mariners pitchers, one of whom was a position player, tied for the most given up by a Seattle club in franchise history. On the other side, the Brewers’ 22 runs tied the record for the most scored in their franchise history.

As is usually the case, the history didn’t end there, either.

Tuesday’s drubbing tied for the largest shutout win since the start of 1888. To find a bigger margin of victory, according to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, you’d have to go back to June 28, 1887, when the Philadelphia Quakers dismantled the Indianapolis Hoosiers to the tune of 24-0.

The largest by a team at home?

Well, that honor goes to the 1885 New York Giants, whose 24-0 pummeling of the Buffalo Bisons has stood the test of time.

Only two other teams — the 2004 Cleveland Indians and 1975 Pittsburgh Pirates — have matched a shutout of Tuesday’s magnitude, with equal 22-0 hammerings of the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs, respectively.

It was a big night for Luis Lara and the Milwaukee Brewers. (Aaron Gash / Associated Press)

In all, 12 Brewers players reached the plate 50 times at American Family Field; only one (Brice Turang) did not record a hit. Each of them, however, managed to reach base at least once, combining for an even 22 hits and 22 runs scored. Four players hit a home run, including rookie Luis Lara, who clubbed his first long ball as part of a 3-for-6 evening.

Tuesday’s contest wasn’t an immediate blowout. In fact, through the first four innings, the biggest source of noise was a tornado warning for Milwaukee County, as the Brewers were held to just one run on four hits. The dam burst in the fifth, and runs continued to pour in during each of the next four innings, including nine in the bottom of the eighth, when a hapless Leo Rivas was tasked with getting the Mariners back to their team hotel.

Julio Rodriguez forgot how many outs there were and gifted the Brewers their 21st run of the night pic.twitter.com/GiCBX6ABxu

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 19, 2026

As if things weren’t already bleak, Milwaukee was gifted its 21st run after Julio Rodríguez forgot how many outs there were in the bottom of the eighth. Seattle’s center fielder turned a routine fly ball — and just the second out of the inning — into a souvenir for fans, allowing one more Brewer to score on what was originally a sacrifice fly.

The helplessness by Seattle also extended to its lineup, as the Mariners were unable to cash in a single run against Gary Sánchez, who completed the shutout as a position player pitching. The Mariners lineup was limited to just five hits, striking out 10 times against four walks.

For the Brewers, it was business as usual for the club that leads MLB with a 78-48 record with 36 games left to play. On the other side, it was more misery for the Mariners. Last year’s AL West champions have now dropped seven of their last 10 games. At 59-67, they sit four games back of the Houston Astros in the AL West and three back of the AL’s third and final wild-card spot.

The schedule won’t lighten up for Seattle for a bit; the club still has two games remaining against the Brewers before playing host to the Chicago Cubs (74-53, first in the NL wild card) and the Philadelphia Phillies (69-58, second in the NL wild card). From there, the Mariners will hit the road against the resurgent Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays to close out August.

If there is any consolation, it’s the fact that the rest of the AL West has been equally futile. The Astros’ 63-63 record is the highest mark in the division, and every club is at least minus-32 runs or worse in run differential.