Seattle’s resurgent ’16 ends just short of playoffs

SEATTLE — A Mariners team that underwent a major overhaul under new general manager Jerry Dipoto couldn’t quite close the deal in its push for the playoffs, falling just short of a Wild Card berth despite a double-digit win improvement from 2015.

But a year filled with dramatic walk-off wins, a series of hot and cold streaks and some of the best offensive production in Safeco Field history provided a feeling that this indeed was a step in a new direction for a franchise that hasn’t made the postseason since 2001.

“You hear it all the time: ‘It’s the same old Mariners,'” first-year manager Scott Servais said after the team finished with the eighth-best record in franchise history. “We’re not the same old Mariners. We’re not. I think if people watched us closely this year and the personality of the team and got to see the team, they realize this is a different group.

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“Did we get to where we ultimately need to be? No, but we made a lot of steps in the right direction, we laid a foundation and we’ll build upon that. But it is not the same old Mariners.”

Record: 86-76, second place, American League West.

Defining moment: It came down to Game 161, with still a chance at landing at least a tiebreaker for a Wild Card berth, before hopes were extinguished in a roller-coaster 9-8, 10-inning loss to the A’s that seemed to mirror the season itself.

The Mariners got down early, fought back behind huge home runs by Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz and provided some dramatic theatrics for a hopeful and enthusiastic Safeco Field crowd before ultimately coming up just short of their postseason goal.

What went right: The core nucleus of Cano, Cruz and Kyle Seager was sensational, leading a Mariners offensive resurgence that saw the club finish second in the AL in home runs, third in runs and fifth in on-base percentage. Those were impressive strides forward for a team that was fifth in homers, 13th in runs and 11th in on-base percentage in 2015.

Servais did an excellent job melding a host of new players and earning …

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