Does the pain ever go away? Do crushing losses hurt less with each day? Does getting — THAT close — just nine outs away from the franchise’s first World Series, only to have it ripped away with a gut-busting Game 7 loss, ever stop stinging?
Tell me.
Then, tell Mariners fans.
I don’t know if you’ve seen the video of the Seattle clubhouse after Toronto’s 4-3 victory in the deciding game of the American League Championship Series. A TV reporter was interviewing pitcher Bryan Woo, asking what it felt like to advance further than any other team in franchise history.
A deep scream came from across the room.
It was Julio Rodriguez, in agony.
Woo looked over and said, “That.”