What Happened to Those Seattle Mariner ALCS Shirts?

The team that outlasted the Seattle mariners in 18 innings in Game 3 of the American League Division Series, the Houston Astros, have made it to the World Series after sweeping the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series.

While you can still find plenty of Seattle Mariner "October Rise" T-Shirts and apparel, what about the Seattle Mariners ALCS Shirts?  Yes, they did make them.  They make ALCS apparel for the four teams that played in the ALDS so fans can buy them as soon as their team clinches.  So what happens to the ALCS shirts for the Mariners and Guardians, as well as the National League teams that fell, the Braves and the Dodgers?

Before 1997, the NFL destroyed theirs, there were stories that MLB sent theirs overseas to third-world countries.  Today, all of the apparel for teams that lose in postseason rounds go to non-profits that specialize in international aid.  There have been different groups over the years that have contracted with the leagues to send the "loser" merchandise to regions of the world that are most in need.

Merchandise doesn't always go to the same place each year.  Apparel has traveled to South and Central America, as well as Asia and Africa, and many points in between.  Areas outside of North America that suffer natural disasters and are in need can also receive the shipments from the aid organizations.

That is not to say that "loser" apparel doesn't make an appearance in the States from time to time.  A T-shirt made by Starter stating the Cincinnati Bengals won Super Bowl XXIII in 1989 was selling on ebay for $10,000.  It is sure to make some heads turn if ever seen in public, which is why nearly 30 years ago the leagues banded together to send said merchandise as far away a possible.