The Seattle Mariners fired manager Scott Servais this week as their playoff hopes fade. New manager Dan Wilson has taken the helm and is looking to lead the Mariners back from a five-and-a-half-game deficit in the AL West. When he signs the roster card on Friday, he’ll also make a little personal history, according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi.

“Dan Wilson will referee his first game for the @Mariners, almost 43 years to the day after leading the @LittleLeague team from Barrington, Illinois to a 3rd place finish in the 1981 LLWS,” Morosi posted on X, formerly Twitter.

At that time, only four American teams made it to Williamsport. Wilson’s team from Illinois represented the Central Region, while the American side included Stamford, Connecticut, Tampa, Florida and Escondido, California. Barrington lost to Tampa 11-10 in the semifinals. The Taiping Little League from Taichung, Taiwan, won the title.

The Mariners will play the New York Mets in the Little League Classic next season. His connection to the Little League World Series will certainly be a topic of conversation, assuming he remains manager when the Mariners take the field in August. He was named manager, not interim, so be sure to keep an eye out for that next year.

After a 14-year MLB career, including 12 years with the Mariners, Wilson joined Seattle’s coaching staff. He has been with the franchise since 2013, when he became the minor league catching coordinator. Wilson also previously served as a co-commentator for Mariners games for several seasons. He is also a member of the Mariners Hall of Fame.

Now he takes over a team with high expectations, a stellar rotation and star players throughout the lineup. Can Wilson lead the Mariners to their first playoff series win since 1995?

The future of Dan Wilson’s Seattle Mariners

According to Fangraphs, the Mariners have just a 10.9% chance of making the playoffs, down from their season-high 91.7% on June 18. After defeating the Cleveland Guardians that day, they were 10 games ahead of the Astros in the AL West. Since then, they have the second-worst record in the major leagues at 20-33.

While that extended decline was brutal, it was the play since August 11 that led to Servais’ firing. After beating the Mets, they were tied with the Astros atop the West. Since then, they have lost eight of nine games, ending Servais’ run in Seattle. Wilson begins his tenure with the San Francisco Giants and Tampa Bay Rays coming to town.

The season will come down to the penultimate series of the season. The Mariners will head to Houston to play three games against the Astros starting September 23. Wilson and the Mariners will have to make sure they are not eliminated by the time the series begins.

The improvements have to start on offense. They have the worst team batting average in the league and no player with an OPS+ above 114. The Mariners probably won’t make the playoffs this season, but Wilson can lay the foundation for a successful 2025, including a stop in Williamsport.