Series victory in Seattle means more in 2023 than in years past

The Los Angeles Angels have taken two out of three in Seattle. They now sit at 4-2 on the season, tied for first in the AL West with the Rangers.

The Angels took two of three despite being without Anthony Rendon, Jared Walsh, and Max Stassi for the entire series. They took two of three despite facing young phenom George Kirby and Seattle's ace Luis Castillo. The Angels did lose the Castillo start, but were able to knock Kirby out of the game in the fifth inning and won that game.

All in all, the Angels walked into a tough environment against a team that's won 90 games in each of the last two seasons, made the postseason last year, and took the series without key pieces going up against some of their best arms. And it means more this year than in years past.

LA Angels series win in Seattle means more in 2023 than in years past

The Angels play the Mariners and every other AL West team just 13 times because of the new schedule format. They used to play their AL West rivals 19 times each season, but that's no longer the case.

This makes winning division matchups just that much more important. The Angels will only see the Mariners for three more series this season. Taking the first one, especially on the road, will go a long way.

The same can be said about taking two of three in Oakland, but they're not expected to be competitive. Seattle on the other hand, is quite good.

The Angels don't see Seattle until June 9-11, when the Mariners come to the Big A for a weekend series.

The Angels have fewer opportunities than in years past to play their division rivals, so getting off to a good start against this one in particular is a great thing and will surely come in handy by the time September rolls around.

The Angels will hopefully take this momentum to their Home Opener tomorrow and take down another premier Wild Card contender.