Seattle Mariners

The Mariners is also the name of the Central Coast football team competing in the Australian A-League.

The Seattle Mariners are a Major League Baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. They are in the West Division of the American League.

Franchise history

1970s and 1980s

The Mariners were created as a direct result of a lawsuit. In 1970, in the aftermath of the Seattle Pilots purchase and relocation to Milwaukee by future Commissioner of Baseball Bud Selig, the City of Seattle, King County, and the State of Washington (led by attorney general and future U.S. Senator Slade Gorton) sued the American League for breach of contract. They asserted that the AL invested time and resources into trying to make major league baseball work in Seattle, and reneged on the deal with the sale of the Pilots to Selig. The suit requested $32 million in damages resulting from the loss of the Pilots.

The lawsuit continued until 1976. At trial, the American League offered to give Seattle an expansion baseball franchise in return for dropping the suit. The details were ironed out over the next year. As a result, the Seattle Mariners (along with the Toronto Blue Jays) were awarded in 1976 for play beginning in 1977. Legendary entertainer Danny Kaye was part of the ownership group.

The Kingdome, which was originally intended as the home for the Pilots (some of the 1969 Pilots game programs had artist renderings of a domed stadium on the cover), was in large part the result of the "Forward Thrust" bond issue passed by King County voters in 1969,

Major League Baseball was now back in Seattle for the first time since the departure of the Pilots, whose name Selig changed to the Brewers. The Brewers now play in the rival National League.

The Mariners played their first game on April 6 1977 to a sold-out crowd of 57,762 at the Kingdome (they lost 7-0 to the California Angels) ^*. The early history of the team during the 1970s and 1980s is characterized by perennial non-achievement. The Mariners finished last or next-to-last in their division in 10 of their first 13 seasons, and did not record a winning season until 1991.

In the team's inaugural season of 1977, pitcher Diego Segui, in his last major league season, became the only player to play for both the Pilots and the Mariners.

Despite having stars such as Gaylord Perry (the famed spitballer, who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991, spent the final two years of his 20+ season career with Seattle and was given the nickname "The Ancient Mariner"), Alvin Davis (American League Rookie of the Year (1984)), Harold Reynolds (two-time All-Star (1987-88) and three-time Gold-Glover (1988-90)), and Mark Langston (league-leader in strikeouts pitched (1984, 1986-87)), the team gained a reputation for poor performances and losing records. Highlights of the early years included hosting the 1979 All-Star Game, Gaylord Perry's 300th career win in 1982, Jim Presley's 10th inning game-winning grand slam on opening day in 1986 (this coming after he tied the game with a two run homer in the ninth), cannon-blasts from the "USS Mariner" behind the center field wall following home runs by the home team, appearances by Morganna the kissing-bandit, and promotions such as "Funny Nose Glasses Night." One notable lowlight was Roger Clemens record-setting performance April 29, 1986 in defeating the Mariners and becoming the first pitcher ever to strike out 20 batters in a nine-inning game.

The rookie season (1989) of center fielder Ken Griffey, Jr., acquired with the 1st pick in the 1st round of the 1987 amateur draft, gave fans hope that a change of fortunes might not be long in coming. Acclaimed as one of the most talented young athletes in all of baseball, Griffey's combination of charisma, stellar defensive ability, hitting power, and baserunning speed made him one of baseball's preeminent superstars of the 1990s, and helped to steer the Mariners to much greater success during his 11 seasons in Seattle.

1990s

In 1991, the Mariners had their first winning season, finishing 83-79 under manager Jim Lefebvre. Though it was the team's best season, it was only good enough to end in fifth place in their seven-team division, and Lefebvre was fired. Bill Plummer served as manager in 1992. Prior to the 1993 season, the Mariners hired manager Lou Piniella, who managed the Cincinnati Reds to a 1990 World Series win.

The Mariner's fortunes began to turn for the better in 1994. The team had added a core of strong players built around center fielder Ken Griffey, Jr., pitcher Randy Johnson and designated hitter Edgar Martinez. But, ironically, the emergence of the team from the disaster that symbolized their history may have been precipitated by a disaster of a different sort. On July 19, 1994, four 15-pound ceiling tiles crashed down from the Kingdome roof, setting in motion one of the more bizarre chapters in Mariners history, one that, at the time, threatened the future of baseball in Seattle while ultimately may have helped to save it. The team was subsequently forced to play its longest road trip ever — 20 games in 21 days spanning 10,425 miles. The incident also further inflamed the debate about the Kingdome's suitability as a baseball facility and the Mariners' quest for a new stadium, eventually leading to the building of Safeco Field. Options such as playing home games at Tacoma's Cheney Stadium and Vancouver's BC Place were explored and dismissed, mostly because the players association decided (after specific complaints by the California Angels) its members shouldn't play anywhere but at major-league parks. So the Mariners, who had played on the road in 10 of the previous 15 games before the tiles fell, packed up and left town again. The long trip got off to a terrible start as the M's went 2-8. In the midst of all that chaos, or maybe because of it, the Mariners' young foundation of Ken Griffey, Jr., Randy Johnson, Jay Buhner and Edgar Martinez began to come together. After winning nine of their next ten games, the Mariners were just 2 games behind division-leading Texas when a players' strike was called on August 12 that canceled the rest of the season. Many players felt the time together on the road and the overcoming of the adversity faced that season fed directly into the success the team would achieve in the 1995 season.

1995 "Dream Season"

In 1995, an early-season injury to Griffey seemed to doom the season. In mid-August, the Mariners were 13 games behind the first-place California Angels. A September winning streak marked by late-inning comeback wins, combined with a losing streak by the Angels, opened the way for the Mariners to tie the Angels for first place on the last day of the season. The Mariners won the tiebreaker game 9-1 and clinched their first-ever trip to the playoffs. Down 2-0 in the ALDS, in one of the most dramatic comebacks in playoff history, the Mariners won three games at home to beat the New York Yankees and advance to the ALCS. One of the most memorable moments of Mariners history happened in Game 5 with a double by Martinez in the 11th inning that scored Joey Cora and Griffey to win the game 6-5. "The Double", as Martinez's clutch hit has since been called by Mariners fans, is credited as being the moment that "saved baseball in Seattle" by generating interest in the team and making a new, baseball only stadium possible. Many die-hard Mariners Fans can still recite Mariners' commentator Dave Niehaus' call on the play: "The Mariners are going to play for the American League Championship! I don't believe it, it just continues, My oh My!!!" Unfortunately, the Mariners' memorable championship run was halted by another up and coming club, Mike Hargrove's Cleveland Indians. 1995 is fondly remembered as "The Magical Season" with "The Double" still considered by many the greatest moment in Mariners history.

Rest of the 1990s

In 1996, the Mariners, led by Griffey, rookie shortstop Alex Rodriguez, and sluggers Jay Buhner and Edgar Martinez, won a then team record 85 games but missed the playoffs. The juggernaut offense set the record for most home runs by a team in a season, but ultimately the M's lack of relief pitching, exacerbated by Randy Johnson's midseason injury, doomed the team.

The Mariners won the division title again in 1997, but were defeated in the ALDS 3-1 by the Baltimore Orioles. They were again hurt by a lack of pitching depth to complement the outstanding offense, which was, as usual, led by Griffey, who won the MVP award (a first for both him and the Mariners).

In 1998 and 1999, the Mariners had losing records due to their lack of pitching depth (Johnson was traded at the July Non-Waiver Trading Deadline to the Houston Astros after being inconsistent in the first half of the season; some fans and press thought he was trying to force a trade through malaise). Midway through the 1999 season, the Mariners moved to SAFECO Field. After the 1999 season, Ken Griffey, Jr. requested and attained a trade to the Cincinnati Reds, leaving Alex Rodriguez as the face of the franchise at the beginning of the SAFECO Field era.

2000s

2000 was a return to respectability for the Mariners, as they won the Wild Card. They finished half a game behind Oakland Athletics, as they played only 161 games. The tiebreaking rules had already awarded the division crown to Oakland, so the rained out 162nd game was not made up. While Ken Griffey, Jr. was no longer patrolling center or lurking in the middle of the batting order, he was adequately replaced by the incredible glovework and solid hitting of new center fielder Mike Cameron. Alex Rodriguez replaced Junior as the face of the franchise and Edgar Martinez provided his usual excellent hitting in the cleanup spot. Freddy Garcia and Jamie Moyer were steady parts in the rotation. Closer Kazuhiro Sasaki, a former professional in his home country of Japan, won the Rookie of the Year award. Also, Rickey Henderson was on the team for that season.The Mariners swept the White Sox in the ALDS, but lost to the New York Yankees in six games in the ALCS. The following offseason was as important as any in Mariners history, as Rodriguez was up for free agency. Ultimately, Rodriguez was lost to the Texas Rangers for what was then the richest contract ever in professional sports. However, the Mariners were able to weather the loss by adding Japanese superstar Ichiro Suzuki, who won the Most Valuable Player award and Rookie of the Year in 2001, and slick fielding, power hitting second base veteran Bret Boone, who was also an MVP candidate.

116 Win Season

In 2001, despite the loss of Rodriguez (He would be greeted on his return to Safeco with Monopoly money dropped by irate Seattle fans, and on subsequent returns by incessant booing and the return of every foul ball he hit into the stands), the addition of Ichiro (who wears his first name on the back of his jersey) and a career season by Boone helped the Mariners to the most successful regular season on record in the modern era. The 2001 Mariners led the major leagues in winning percentage from start to finish, easily winning the American League West championship and matching the previous Major League Baseball record for single season wins of 116 set by the Chicago Cubs in 1906. At the end of the season, Ichiro won the AL MVP, AL Rookie of the Year, and one of three outfield Gold Glove awards, becoming the first player since the 1975 Boston Red Sox' Fred Lynn to win all three in the same season. The Mariners pulled off a come-from-behind 3-2 series win over the Cleveland Indians in the American League Division Series to advance to the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees, but succumbed to the Yankees for the second year in a row in the ALCS, 4 games to 1, in a hard-fought series. The Mariners also hosted the All-Star Game that year, and had a league-leading and team record eight All-Stars: RF Ichiro Suzuki, DH Edgar Martinez, CF Mike Cameron, 2B Bret Boone, 1B John Olerud, and pitchers Freddy Garcia, Kazuhiro Sasaki and Jeff Nelson.

2002-2003

At the end of the 2002 season, manager Lou Piniella left the Mariners to manage his hometown Tampa Bay Devil Rays, reportedly due to his anger with the management policy of investing in low quality free agents and refusing to make late-season trades. The Mariners signed Bob Melvin to be their new manager. The local press speculated that a first year manager (especially one of Melvin's temperament) would be easier for the front office and ownership to control. While they started the season hot (they were on pace to win 100+ games again well into the summer), the Mariners missed out on the playoffs due to their failure to find a substantial contributor at the trade deadline and hot streaks by the Anaheim Angels and Oakland Athletics in the later months of the season. Ultimately, the Angels won the World Series as the Mariners won 93 games, which was still the second best total in their history.

Despite an excellent start to the 2003 season, the Mariners contended and reached the same record as in 2002, but were again beat to the playoffs by the Oakland Athletics. They failed to make the playoffs, which was again blamed on management's failure to bring in a bat at the trading deadline and the aging roster's decline. General manager Pat Gillick became a consultant midway through the offseason to make room for Bill Bavasi.

Fall from Annual Contention

The Mariners stayed competitive in 7 of the 9 seasons from 1995 to 2003. The 2004 season, however, saw the fall of the Mariners from annual contention. Although many of their players were aging, the Mariners continued an apparent practice of "content to contend," starting the 2004 season having not made a major deal in three years. The team lost their first five games and went into the All-Star Break with a 9-game losing streak, a 32-54 season record (.372), and 17 games behind the first-place Texas Rangers. After the All-Star break, unable to ignore the dreadful state of their team, the Mariners gave the team a complete overhaul, moving aging and unproven players away from center stage (the most notable move was trading Freddy Garcia to the Chicago White Sox for Miguel Olivo, Jeremy Reed, and Mike Morse, all of whom started for the big club at some point in 2005) and inserting over a dozen call-ups into the 25-man roster. The season's end was enlivened by Ichiro breaking George Sisler's single season record of 257 hits (finishing with 262) and by events honoring the retirement of Mariner icon Edgar Martinez. Just days after the end of the season, the Mariners fired Melvin. On October 20, 2004, the Mariners announced the signing of their new manager, Mike Hargrove. Hargrove was the manager who led the Cleveland Indians past the Mariners in the 1995 ALCS. In the offseason, the Mariners and Bavasi surprised fans and the local press by signing two premier free agents, third baseman Adrian Beltre and first baseman Richie Sexson, ending accusations that the organization was only willing to make piecemeal signings and trades.

Despite many changes and large player signings touted by the Mariners ownership after the 2004 season, the team stayed at the bottom of the divisional standings throughout the 2005 season and finished in last place, though they won six more games than the year before. The brightest spot of the season was the emergence of the vaunted 19 year old Venezuelan pitching prospect "King" Felix Hernandez (it was generally agreed that he was baseball's overall best pitching prospect) who became the youngest major leaguer to debut since Jose Rijo of the New York Yankees entered the league at the age of nineteen in 1984. Unfortunately, stars Ichiro and Adrian Beltre failed to match their levels of production from 2004. However, Sexson exceeded expectations with 39 home runs and 121 RBI. Aside from Hernandez, some promising rookie middle infielders became part of the Mariners' long term plan: Cuban defector, shortstop and defensive wizard Yuniesky Betancourt and Venezuelan second baseman and former top prospect Jose Lopez became next season's starters. However, the Mariners' rotation beyond Hernandez and the aging Jamie Moyer was poor; the Mariners had the most suspendees under the new drug testing policy, notably Ryan Franklin and Morse; and fan attendance declined significantly. Being placed on the bottom of the division distorted the harmony in the locker room. During the 2005-06 off-season, Ichiro, despite his well-known calmness, spoke out and criticized the team's attitude, pointing out no leadership and the manager Hargrove's failure to harness players. The Mariners realized that in order to return to respectability and avoid losing money, they had to make a splash in the weak free agent and trade markets this winter, particularly in regard to the rotation. The Mariners began the 2005-2006 off-season by signing Japan's top catcher, Kenji Johjima, to a 3-year deal and left-handed starter Jarrod Washburn (formerly of division rival Los Angeles) to a 4-year deal. Designated Hitter Carl Everett and Matt Lawton were the other additions. At the all star break, by being only 2 and a half games back in the AL West, and having finished interleague play tied for the third best record in baseball during interleague play at 14-4, the Mariners have shown some improvement. However, for the season the Mariners have a losing record at 43-46, losing 5 of 6 heading into the all-star game. Despite this, being only 2 and a half games back in the weak division means the team is certainly still in playoff contention at the break, something that the team has not been able to say since 2003. Mariners fans don't seem too excited about this though, due to the team's inability to beat high quality AL teams, and teams in its own division. Also, many fans may not know how close the team is to leading its division due to the fact that fan interest has declined after back to back seasons with over ninety losses.

Quick facts

Founded: 1977 (American League expansion)

Uniform colors: Navy Blue, Northwest Green (Teal Green), and Metallic Silver

Logo design: A baseball on a rose compass. (Original logo: a blue trident-shaped "M")

Mascot: Mariner Moose

Current ownership: Nintendo of America (majority shareholder; represented by Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln, reporting to former Nintendo chairman and former majority shareholder Hiroshi Yamauchi)

Spring Training Facility: Peoria Sports Complex, Peoria, AZ

Playoff appearances (4): 1995, 1997, 2000, 2001

Local television: FSN Northwest, KSTW

TV Fact: During the early years, the Mariners only appeared on NBC's Saturday Game of the Week twice in 1979 and 81 both on the road in Boston and Detroit. NBC never broadcasted a Saturday afternoon game in the Kingdome.

Baseball Hall of Famers

36 Gaylord Perry, P, 1982-83

Mariners Hall of Fame

The team has a Mariners Hall of Fame, with the following members:

Dave Niehaus, Broadcaster (1977-present)
21 Alvin Davis, 1B (1984-91)
19 Jay Buhner, OF (1988-2001)

Retired numbers

The Seattle Mariners have not retired any uniform numbers. It is stated Mariners policy that the only players in the National Baseball Hall of Fame who played for at least five years with the Mariners, or career Mariners players who narrowly avoid election, will have their numbers officially retired. ^*

As far as unofficial retirement, the team has not reissued the number 24 of Ken Griffey, Jr. to any player since he left the team. Number 51 worn by Randy Johnson was withheld from players for two and a half years until 2001, when it was awarded to Ichiro Suzuki upon his request after wearing it for his entire superstar career in Japan. Alex Rodriguez's number 3 has been worn by manager Bob Melvin (2003-2004), infielder Pokey Reese (2005, although he spent the entire season on the disabled list), and shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt (2006-present).

It is unlikely that numbers 11 (retired Edgar Martinez) and 19 (retired Jay Buhner) will be issued to players again before they are eventually officially retired, and the Mariners have not issued numbers 6 (retired Dan Wilson) or 14 (Lou Piniella) to any players or coaches since last used by Wilson & Piniella.

Jackie Robinson's number, 42, was retired throughout Major League Baseball on April 15, 1997.

Current roster

Minor league affiliations

AAA: Tacoma Rainiers, Pacific Coast League
AA: San Antonio Missions, Texas League
Advanced A: Inland Empire 66ers, California League
A: Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, Midwest League
Short A: Everett AquaSox, Northwest League
Rookie: AZL Mariners, Arizona League
Rookie: VSL Mariners, Venezuelan Summer League

External links

Major League Baseball teams | 1977 establishments

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