Sports
Reusse: Former Gophers standout Dan Wilson has guided Mariners to ALCS
After starring for the Gophers as a catcher and a 14-year career in the majors, Wilson has led Seattle to its first ALCS since 2001.
By Patrick Reusse
The Minnesota Star Tribune
October 12, 2025 at 9:35PM
A former star catcher for the Gophers, Dan Wilson has led Seattle to its first ALCS since 2001. The Mariners begin the series Sunday night at Toronto. (Lindsey Wasson/The Associated Press)
The Twins and the Milwaukee Brewers have never had that Packers-Vikings or Badgers-Gophers rivalry thing going, one reason being the nature of the sports.
The other reason is straightforward: The teams have been in the same division only six seasons in the Brewers’ 56 years of existence, including the 1994 strike year.
Point being, the majority of Minnesotans choosing to pay attention to the baseball playoffs — small as that number might be — should have no problem rooting for the relentless, low-budget Brewers against the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team with one strength beyond all others:
Outrageous payroll.
Throw in the luxury tax and the Dodgers’ payroll is $509 million, and that’s with the spineless leadership of Commissioner Rob Manfred allowing them to not count $25 million annually of the “deferred” money for Shohei Ohtani.
As MLB’s winningest team at 97-65, the Brewers’ end-of-season payroll was estimated at $121.6 million.
Let’s go, Brewers.
As for the American League, with Toronto a more unlikely top winner than the Brewers in the NL, and Seattle, winning its first playoff series since 2001 with Friday night’s wondrous, 3-2, 15-inning victory over Detroit in a decisive fifth game, it’s a tougher call.