Last year, the Seattle Mariners finished 85-77 and recorded 24 more wins than they had in 2008.
They made such a dramatic improvement and actually scored 31 fewer runs than the season before. But after giving up 811 runs in 2008, the Mariners gave up just 692 last year.
That's 119 fewer runs allowed and 24 more victories.
The Mariners pitching had a hand in that, of course, but many are crediting a big upgrade in defense with the increased win total.
The Mariners had some of the best...
