Despite what one might expect, the Seattle Seahawks’ first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history is often viewed as one to forget.

In 2005, the Seahawks earned the top seed in the NFC with a 13-3 record, then powered their way through the playoffs to punch their ticket to Super Bowl XL at Ford Field in Detroit. There, they met the Pittsburgh Steelers, the sixth seed in the AFC, which on paper should have given them an advantage.

However, that was far from the case. The Seahawks fell to Steelers 21-10 in a game where nothing seemed to go their way. Some questionable calls are still talked about today, but Seattle failing to capitalize on its chances arguably did even more damage.

Even almost 20 years later, players from both teams are still talking about this game. In a recent book titled “Facing the Pittsburgh Steelers: Players Recall the Glory Years of the Black and Gold” by Sean Deveny, former Seattle fullback Mack Strong explained the inherent advantage Pittsburgh had in that matchup. Rather than harping on the officials like many before him, though, Strong instead pointed to the overwhelming ratio of Steelers fans in the crowd.

“Where it was different, though, was on game day. Detroit is like an hour flight from Pittsburgh. There were probably 60,000 Steelers fans there and about 10,000 Seahawks fans. It definitely felt like a home game for them, an away game for us,” Strong said. “That was the only time— I stepped out onto that field and I was like, ‘This is different.’

“It was supposed to be neutral. But we were just building our fan base at the time, and the Steelers, of course, had 30 or 40 years of winning and history behind them. It was weird walking into a neutral stadium and literally trying to figure out, ‘Wait, where are our fans at?’”

It doesn’t take a detective to figure out why the Steelers had such a strong crowd advantage. Like Strong said, a flight from Pittsburgh to Detroit is just over an hour, while a flight from Seattle to Detroit is over four hours. Add in that the Steelers had history on their side and that Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis, a Detroit native, was playing in his final NFL game, and it’s easy to see why black and gold dominated the stands.

Even though this game ended in disappointment, the Seahawks would finally earn their first championship eight years later with a 43-8 dismantling of the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.

SEATTLE (AP) — Cal Raleigh drove in the winning run with a walk-off fielder’s choice in the 10th inning on Friday and the Seattle Mariners beat the Minnesota Twins, 3-2.

Seattle Mariners 3, Minnesota Twins 2 (10 innings): Box Score

Raleigh hit an infield grounder to Twins reliever Cole Sands (2-1), who threw home to try to keep J.P. Crawford from scoring. The throw sailed high to the backstop and Crawford was safe.

It was the fourth career walk-off for Raleigh, and his second this season.

“I kind of got rewarded for swinging at a bad pitch, but you know, it’s kind of how baseball is sometimes,” Raleigh said. “You’ve just got to put the ball in play. Definitely, probably not the right way to do it there, but we take what we can get.”

The rally capped off what started as a pitcher’s duel, as Minnesota’s Bailey Ober and Mariners starter Logan Gilbert both pitched well early.

Ober faced the minimum before walking a pair of Mariners in the fourth, and Gilbert allowed just three hits in the first five innings.

The Mariners took a 1-0 lead in the fifth when Josh Rojas hit an RBI double, but Carlos Correa put the Twins ahead with a two-run homer off Gilbert in the sixth.

Gilbert allowed four hits and two earned runs over six innings with three strikeouts, while Ober allowed one run on two hits, with three walks and nine strikeouts.

Correa’s homer ended a 21-inning scoreless streak for Gilbert, the longest by a Mariners pitcher this season. It was also his major league-best 14th quality start in 17 appearances. In five June starts, Gilbert had one walk and 31 strikeouts.

“That’s what you do when you’re a top-end starter,” manager Scott Servais said. “He’s been carrying us, every time out there I feel like we’re going to win the game and he’s going to throw a shutout. Close tonight, unfortunately Correa got him. But great win and great way to start the series.”

Seattle tied the game on a wild play in the eighth, as Julio Rodríguez hit a groundball to third baseman Jose Miranda, who missed a tag on baserunner Luke Raley before throwing the ball past Carlos Santana at first base for an error.

Raley scored on the play, while Rojas and Rodríguez each advanced a base.

“I think there were some funky plays off the bat that we had to deal with today,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “But overall, I wouldn’t say we played a poor ballgame. I would say we played a decent ballgame.”

Ryne Stanek (5-1) pitched a scoreless top of the 10th inning, as the bullpen threw four shutout innings with just two hits allowed.

“That’s a tough lineup over there,” Gilbert said. “They’re a really good team on both sides of the ball, but the bullpen doing what they do, I have full confidence in them.”

ROSTER MOVE

Seattle recalled LHP Jhonathan Díaz from Triple- A Tacoma, and optioned RHP Cody Bolton.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mariners: RHP Gregory Santos (lat strain) threw a live batting practice session on Friday, and will start a rehab assignment on July 2 in Triple-A Tacoma. Santos hasn’t pitched yet his season after getting injured in spring training … LHP Gabe Speier (rotator cuff) will throw a bullpen on Tuesday, and is expected to return around the All-Star break … RHP Bryan Woo had an MRI that showed mild inflammation in his hamstring, but GM Justin Hollander doesn’t expect a lengthy IL stint.

UP NEXT

Twins RHP Pablo Lopez (7-6, 5.11 ERA) will pitch Saturday against Mariners RHP Bryce Miller (6-6, 3.90 ERA)

More on the Seattle Mariners

• Big Game Hunting: Two splashy potential Mariners trade targets
• Rost: The two things about first-place Mariners’ season that are baffling
• Mariners Roster Move: Lefty called up to pitching staff
• Mariners Injury Update: Latest on Bryan Woo, Gabe Speier and more
• Mariners’ Julio Rodríguez putting in extra work to solve struggles

The Seattle Mariners have recalled left-handed pitcher Jhonatan Díaz from Triple-A Tacoma ahead of their three-game series against the Minnesota Twins that begins Friday night.

3 Things to Know: Mariners host Twins in potential playoff preview

To make room for Díaz, the M’s optioned right-hander Cody Bolton to Tacoma.

Díaz is up with Seattle for the second time this season. He previously made one appearance with the Mariners, making a spot start on June 11 against the White Sox. Díaz held Chicago to three runs on nine hits and a walk with four strikeouts.

The 27-year-old Díaz has appeared in 12 career MLB games, 11 of which were with the Los Angeles Angels from 2021-23, with seven starts.

With the Rainiers in Triple-A this year, Díaz is 8-1 with a 3.26 ERA and 73 strikeouts to 27 walks in 14 games (13 starts).

The Mariners are currently without a fifth starting pitcher as Bryan Woo is on the 15-day injured list with a hamstring strain, leaving their starter for Sunday against the Twins unknown. Díaz would be an option, but there’s also Emerson Hancock, who has essentially been Seattle’s No. 6 starter this year and could still be called up from Tacoma for Sunday’s game.

Bolton, 26, has appeared in 17 games for the Mariners this year, including four since being recalled from the Rainiers on June 14. He has a 4.34 ERA with 17 strikeouts to nine walks for the M’s, and hasn’t allowed a run in nine games (8 2/3 innings) with Tacoma.

More on the Seattle Mariners

• Big Game Hunting: Two splashy potential Mariners trade targets
• Rost: The two things about first-place Mariners’ season that are baffling
• ‘Absolute workhorse’ Logan Gilbert has been Mariners’ ace
• 3 Takes: Big questions about Seattle Mariners halfway through season
• Lefko: Julio’s struggles magnify Seattle Mariners’ need to add impact bat

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