Seattle Mariners

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Seattle Mariners
2024 Seattle Mariners season
Established in 1977
Team logo used since 1993
175x100px 175x100px
Team logo Cap insignia
Major league affiliations
Current uniform
ALW-Uniform-SEA.PNG
Retired numbers
Colors
  • Navy blue, Northwest green, metallic silver, white[1]
                   
Name
  • Seattle Mariners (1977–present)
Other nicknames
  • The M's
Ballpark
Major league titles
World Series titles (0) None
AL Pennants (0) None
West Division titles (3)
Wild card berths (1) 2000
Front office
Owner(s) Nintendo of America, represented by CEO Howard Lincoln[2][3]
Manager Scott Servais
General Manager Jerry Dipoto
President of Baseball Operations Kevin Mather

The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in 1977, the Mariners are a member of the West division of the American League (AL) in Major League Baseball (MLB). Since July 1999, the Mariners' home ballpark has been Safeco Field, located south of downtown Seattle.

The "Mariners" name originates from the prominence of marine culture in the city of Seattle. They are nicknamed "the M's", a title featured in their primary logo from 1987–1992. The current team colors are Navy blue, Northwest green, and Silver, after having been Royal blue and Gold from 1977–1992; on January 23, 2015 the Mariners revealed their new alternative uniforms with the colors of royal blue and gold.[4] Their mascot is the Mariner Moose.

The organization did not field a winning team until 1991, and any real success eluded them until 1995 when they won their first division championship and defeated the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series. The game-winning hit in Game 5, in which Edgar Martínez drove home Ken Griffey, Jr. to win the game in the 11th inning, clinched a series win for the Mariners, and has since become an iconic moment in team history.

The Mariners won 116 games in 2001, which set the American League record for most wins in a single season and tied the 1906 Chicago Cubs for the Major League record for most wins in a single season.

Through the 2014 season, the franchise has finished with a losing record in 26 of 38 seasons. The Mariners are one of eight Major League Baseball teams who have never won a World Series championship, and one of two (along with the Washington Nationals) to never have played in a World Series.[5]

Owned by Nintendo of America, the Mariners are one of three Major League Baseball teams under corporate ownership; the other two are the Atlanta Braves (Liberty Media) and the Toronto Blue Jays (Rogers Communications).

History

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Main article: History of the Seattle Mariners

The Mariners were created as a result of a lawsuit. In 1970, in the aftermath of the Seattle Pilots' purchase and relocation to Milwaukee (as the Milwaukee Brewers) by future Commissioner of Baseball Bud Selig, the city of Seattle, King County, and the state of Washington (represented by then-state attorney general and later U.S. Senator Slade Gorton) sued the American League for breach of contract.[6] Confident that Major League Baseball would return to Seattle within a few years, King County built the multi-purpose Kingdome, which would become home to the NFL's expansion Seattle Seahawks in 1976. The name "Mariners" was chosen by club officials in August 1976 from over 600 names submitted by 15,000 entrants in a name-the-team contest.[7]

Ken Griffey, Jr. holds six single-season batting records and an individual career record for the Mariners franchise.

The Mariners played their first game on April 6, 1977, to a sold-out crowd of 57,762 at the Kingdome, losing 7–0 to the California Angels.[8] The first home run in team history was hit on April 10, 1977, by designated hitter Juan Bernhardt.[9] That year, star pitcher Diego Seguí, in his last major league season, became the only player to play for both the Pilots and the Mariners. The Mariners finished with a 64–98 record, echoing the record the 1969 Pilots once held. In 1979, Seattle hosted the 50th Major League Baseball All-Star Game. After the 1981 season, the Mariners were sold to California businessman and future U.S. Ambassador to Spain George Argyros.

Mariners logo, 1977–79
Mariners logo, 1980–86
Mariners logo, 1987–1992

During the 1992–93 offseason, the Mariners hired manager Lou Piniella, who had led the Cincinnati Reds to victory in the 1990 World Series. Mariner fans embraced Piniella,[10] and he would helm the team from 1993 through 2002, winning two American League Manager of the Year Awards along the way.

The 2001 Mariners club finished with a record of 116-46, leading all of Major League Baseball in winning percentage for the duration of the season and easily winning the American League West division championship. In doing so, the team broke the 1998 Yankees American League single-season record of 114 wins and matched the all-time MLB single-season record for wins set by the 1906 Chicago Cubs. At the end of the season, Ichiro Suzuki 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's Fred Lynn to win all three in the same season.

On October 22, 2008 the Mariners announced the hiring of Jack Zduriencik, formerly scouting director of the Milwaukee Brewers, as their general manager.[11] Weeks later, on November 18, the team named Oakland Athletics bench coach Don Wakamatsu as its new field manager. Wakamatsu and Zduriencik hired an entirely new coaching staff for 2009, which included former World Series MVP John Wetteland as bullpen coach. The off-season also saw a litany of roster moves, headlined by a 12-player, 3-team trade that included sending All-Star closer J. J. Putz to the New York Mets and brought 5 players—including prospect Mike Carp and outfielder Endy Chávez from New York and outfielder Franklin Gutierrez from the Cleveland Indians—to Seattle. Many of the moves, like the free agent signing of Mike Sweeney, were made in part with the hope of squelching the clubhouse infighting that plagued the Mariners in 2008. It also saw the return of Seattle favorite Ken Griffey, Jr. The 2009–10 offseason was highlighted by the trade for 2008 American League Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee from the Philadelphia Phillies, the signing of third baseman Chone Figgins and the contract extension of star pitcher "King" Félix Hernández.

On June 2, 2010 Ken Griffey, Jr. announced his retirement after 22 MLB seasons.[12]

Félix Hernández has made five All-Star appearances as a member of the Seattle Mariners.

On August 9, 2010 the Mariners fired field manager Don Wakamatsu along with bench coach Ty Van Burkleo, pitching coach Rick Adair and performance coach Steve Hecht. Daren Brown, the manager of the AAA affiliate Tacoma Rainiers, took over as interim field manager. Roger Hansen, the former Minor League catching coordinator, was promoted to bench coach. Carl Willis, the former Minor League pitching coordinator, was promoted to pitching coach.[13]

The Mariners hired former Cleveland Indians manager Eric Wedge as their new manager on October 19, 2010.[14]

On November 10, 2010, Dave Niehaus, the Mariners' play-by-play announcer since the team's inception, died of a heart attack at the age of 75.[15] In memory of Niehaus, Seattle rapper Macklemore wrote a tribute song called "My Oh My" in December 2010. He performed the song at the Mariners' Opening Day game on April 8, 2011.

On April 21, 2012, Philip Humber of the Chicago White Sox threw the third perfect game in Chicago White Sox history against the Mariners at Safeco Field in Seattle. It was the 21st perfect game in MLB history.[16] On June 8, 2012, the Mariners starting pitcher Kevin Millwood and five other pitchers combined to throw the tenth combined no-hitter in MLB history and the first in team history. The last combined one occurred in 2003, when six Houston Astros no-hit the New York Yankees in New York. The six pitchers used in a no-hitter is a major league record. On August 15, 2012, Félix Hernández pitched the first perfect game in team history, shutting down the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0 at Safeco Field. It was the 23rd perfect game in Major League Baseball history.[17]

On August 28, 2015, General Manager Jack Zduriencik was relieved of his position by the team. On September 28, 2015, former GM of the L.A. Angels of Anaheim, Jerry Dipoto, was hired as the new General Manager.[18] On October 9, 2015, manager Lloyd McClendon was fired, and the search for a new manager was begun.[19]

Uniforms

The Mariners donned their current uniform in 1993 (with a slight change in 2015). For home games, they wear white jerseys and pants, except on Fridays, when they don "Northwest Green" teal jerseys, a throwback to their 1990s color scheme.[20] The Friday jerseys were introduced in 2011.[21] The alternate road uniform is dark blue.[20]

In January 2015 the team announced a return to the color of their original 1977 uniform with a new alternative uniform to be worn for Sunday home games only. This uniform is cream-colored with royal blue and gold outlining, and blue stirrups. Numbers without names are on the back of the jerseys.[4][20] The cap is royal blue with the updated Mariners logo.[4][22] Additionally, the uniform script on both the primary home and away jerseys were tweaked.

Spring training

The team mainly plays spring training games in Peoria, Arizona at the Peoria Sports Complex. They share the complex and stadium with the San Diego Padres.[23] On March 25, 2013, in a 16-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, the Mariners broke the team record for total home runs during a spring training season with 52.[24]

Season records

This is a partial list listing the past 15 completed regular seasons. For the full season records, see here.

Year Record Win % Place in AL West Postseason Notes
2001 116–46 .716 1st Won ALDS vs Cleveland Indians, 3–2
Lost ALCS vs New York Yankees, 4–1.		 Tied the regular-season record with 116 wins, but went 4–6 in the postseason.
2002 93–69 .574 3rd Celebrated 25th anniversary of the franchise
2003 93–69 .574 2nd
2004 63–99 .389 4th Ichiro had 262 hits, which broke the 84-year-old hit record.
2005 69–93 .426 4th
2006 78–84 .481 4th
2007 88–74 .543 2nd Celebrated 30th anniversary of the franchise
2008 61–101 .377 4th Worst record in AL heading into All-Star break, first team of 2008 to record a 100-loss season.

First team of 2008 to officially be eliminated from the 2008 postseason. Worst record since 1983, which was the last time they had lost over 100 games in a season.

First team in MLB history to lose 100 games with a $100 million payroll.

Dave Niehaus won the Ford C. Frick Award, presented by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
2009 85–77 .520 3rd Ichiro set the new record for most consecutive 200-hit seasons at 9.
2010 61–101 .377 4th Félix Hernández won the 2010 AL Cy Young Award.

Ichiro and Franklin Gutiérrez won the 2010 Rawlings Gold Glove awards for AL Right Field and Center Field, respectively.

Former Executive Pat Gillick was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.

Ichiro had his tenth consecutive season batting over .300 with 200 hits, winning a Rawlings Gold Glove Award, and appearing in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
2011 67–95 .414 4th Pitchers Félix Hernández, Brandon League, and Michael Pineda were named all-stars, but only League and Pineda appeared in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
2012 75–87 .463 4th Celebrated 35th Anniversary of the franchise. Featured a combined no-hitter and perfect game by Félix Hernández. Became the first team in MLB history to both win and lose in perfect games in one season. Ichiro was traded to the Yankees on July 23.
2013 71–91 .438 4th Despite the Major League debuts of top prospects Nick Franklin, Mike Zunino, Brad Miller, Taijaun Walker and James Paxton, the Mariners once again failed to make the postseason. Although the Mariners took a major step forward in the power department, hitting the second most home runs in the American League (188 trailing Baltimore's 212), hitting fundamentals, questionable defense and a shallow pitching rotation and bullpen held the team back. On September 27, manager Eric Wedge announced that he would not return for the 2014 season.[25] He was replaced by Lloyd McClendon.
2014 87–75 .537 3rd The Mariners made a surprising playoff run in 2014, but in the end, they fell short on the final day of the season. Felix Hernandez won the AL ERA title with a 2.14 ERA and Robinson Cano had a career year in his first season with Seattle.
2015 76–86 .469 4th McClendon was fired after the season ended.[26] On October 23, 2015 Scott Servais was the hired as the team's new manager.[27]

Achievements

Baseball Hall of Famers

The following elected members of the Baseball Hall of Fame spent part of their careers with the Mariners.[28]

Seattle Mariners Hall of Famers
Affiliation according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Seattle Mariners

Pat Gillick†

Goose Gossage
Ken Griffey Jr.

Rickey Henderson

Randy Johnson
Gaylord Perry

Dick Williams
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  • Players and managers listed in bold are depicted on their Hall of Fame plaques wearing a Mariners cap insignia.
  • † – Pat Gillick was elected as an Executive/Pioneer due in part to his contributions to baseball as general manager of the Mariners.[29]

Ford C. Frick Award recipients

Seattle Mariners Ford C. Frick Award recipients
Affiliation according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

Dave Niehaus
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  • Names in bold received the award based primarily on their work as broadcasters for the Mariners.

Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame

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Main article: Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame

Seattle Mariners former chairman and CEO John Ellis announced on June 14, 1997 the creation of a Mariners Hall of Fame. It is operated by the Seattle Mariners organization. It honors the players, staff and other individuals that greatly contributed to the history and success of the Mariners franchise. It is located at the Baseball Museum of the Pacific Northwest in Safeco Field. The current members of the Mariners Hall of Fame are:

Retired numbers

24
Ken
Griffey Jr.
OF
-
Retired August 6, 2016
42
Jackie
Robinson
–
All MLB
Honored April 15, 1997

Official team policy states that a number may only be retired for a player in the National Baseball Hall of Fame who played for at least five years with the Mariners, or a player who comes close to such election having spent "substantially his entire career with the Mariners."[31]

On January 8, 2016, the Mariners announced that Ken Griffey Jr.'s number 24 would be retired effective at the start of the 2016 season, with the formal ceremony to be held before the team's August 6 home game. The retirement will not only affect the Mariners, but also all of their minor-league affiliates.

Currently, one other player has met the requirements to have their number retired:

  • 51 Randy Johnson played 10 seasons with the Mariners (1989-1998) and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2015.

Despite not officially retiring any numbers, the team has not reissued the numbers 11 (Edgar Martínez), 14 (Lou Piniella), 19 (Jay Buhner), or 51 (Ichiro Suzuki) to any uniformed staff since they left the team.

Number 51, worn by Randy Johnson, was withheld from players from 1998 until 2001, when it was issued to Ichiro Suzuki upon his request after wearing it for his entire career in Japan. It has presumably been taken out of circulation again, following Ichiro's 2012 trade to the Yankees coupled with Johnson's 2015 election into the Baseball Hall-of-Fame.

Edgar Martínez, who played his entire major-league career in Seattle and first appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2010, may be eligible to have his number retired. His best Hall of Fame voting figures came in 2016, when he received 43.4% of the vote (75% is required for induction). Whether this constitutes coming "close" to Hall of Fame election is unclear. Upon his return to the team in 2015 as their hitting instructor, Martínez again wore jersey #11.

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

Uniform number 00 is presumed off-limits, as it has been worn by the Mariner Moose since 1997 (outfielder Jeffrey Leonard was the last player to don 00 for the M's, in 1990). From 1990 to 1996, the Moose wore the last 2 digits of the year of the current season.

Team captains

Culture

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Rally Fries

Boston Red Sox fans holding a sign requesting rally fries.

Rally Fries are a baseball tradition started by Mariners broadcaster Mike Blowers in 2007. During a game against the Cincinnati Reds, a fan tried to catch a foul ball along the right-field line but in turn spilled his tray of french fries along the track. While chatting on the air and seeing the mishap, Blowers' partner, Dave Sims, suggested that he should send a new tray of fries to the fan. Blowers agreed, and sent his intern to deliver a plate of fries to the man.[32]

At the Mariners' next game, fans made signs and boards asking Blowers for fries as well. Coincidentally, every time the fries were delivered, the Mariners seem to score or rally from a deficit, and thus the "Rally Fries" were created. This became so popular with the fans that signs were even seen when the Mariners were the visiting team, although on August 1, 2009, Blowers established that he only gives out fries at home games.[33]

Generally, Blowers will select a person or a group of people that appeals to him, whether it is through fans wearing elaborate costumes or waving funny signs and boards. The fries are usually delivered from Ivar's, a Seattle-based seafood restaurant with a location at Safeco Field. The amount of fries given out varies with the size of the winning group of fans. The winners are generally selected around the 5th or 6th inning, although potential candidates are shown in almost every inning beforehand.

King's Court

As the 2011 season progressed, the Mariners marketing staff came up with an idea to encourage the growing fanbase of Cy Young-winning pitcher "King" Félix Hernández. Every Hernandez start at Safeco Field is now accompanied by a King's Court section—a place for his fans to sing, dance and cheer while donning custom-made shirts and K cards.

The King's Court is both a personal rooting section for Hernandez and trend-setter for Safeco Field. The team encouraged fans to dress like Larry Bernandez, Hernandez's alter ego from a Mariners TV Commercial, or show up in wacky costumes, rewarding the best with a ceremonial turkey leg.[34]

Supreme Court The Supreme Court is when every game attendee is given a free King's Court T-shirt and a K card, and only occurs at special events. The first Supreme Court was Félix's first home game following his perfect game in 2012. Since then it has occurred each year at Félix's first home game.

Current roster

Seattle Mariners 2016 spring training roster
40-man roster Non-roster invitees Coaches/Other

Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Pitchers


Infielders

Outfielders

Manager

Coaches



40 active, 0 inactive, 6 non-roster invitees

10px 7- or 15-day disabled list
* Not on active roster
† Suspended list
Roster, coaches, and NRIs updated January 12, 2016
Transactions • Depth Chart
→ All MLB rosters

Minor league affiliations

Level Team League Location
AAA Tacoma Rainiers Pacific Coast League Tacoma, Washington
AA Jackson Generals Southern League Jackson, Tennessee
Advanced A Bakersfield Blaze California League Bakersfield, California
A Clinton LumberKings Midwest League Clinton, Iowa
Short Season A Everett AquaSox Northwest League Everett, Washington
Rookie AZL Mariners Arizona League Peoria, Arizona
DSL Mariners 1 Dominican Summer League Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic
DSL Mariners 2 Dominican Summer League Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic

Radio and television

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See also: Seattle Mariners Radio Network and List of Seattle Mariners broadcasters

The Mariners' flagship radio station is KIRO (AM 710 ESPN Radio), which previously broadcast Mariners contests from 1985–2002. Former flagship stations include KOMO 1000 AM (2003–2008), and KVI 570 AM (1977–1984). Television rights are held by Root Sports Northwest. In years past, Mariners games have also appeared in Seattle on over-the-air stations KING-TV, KIRO-TV, KTZZ-TV (now KZJO), and KSTW. Selected Mariners games are also available on Canadian television, due to an agreement between Root Sports Northwest and Sportsnet.

The Mariners' broadcast team for 2010 featured Dave Niehaus and Rick Rizzs—back for their 32nd and 23rd seasons with the club, respectively—as well as veteran broadcaster Dave Sims and former infielder Mike Blowers. For the first three innings of each game, Niehaus worked the television broadcast with Blowers, and Rizzs and Sims handled radio duties; after the third inning, Niehaus and Sims traded places. Niehaus, who had broadcast for the Mariners since their inaugural season of 1977, died on November 10, 2010. For the 2011 season, Dave Niehaus' duties in the broadcast booth were filled by a collection of former Mariners broadcasters such as Ron Fairly, Ken Levine, and Ken Wilson; and former Mariners' players such as Dave Valle, Dan Wilson, Jay Buhner, and Dave Henderson. Since 2013, Aaron Goldsmith joins Rizzs calling games on the radio, while Sims and Blowers anchor the television broadcasting.[35] Seattle radio personality Matt Pitman hosts the post-game show on the Mariners' radio network, along with clubhouse reporter Shannon Drayer. Spanish-language radio broadcast duties are handled by Alex Rivera on play-by-play and former second baseman Julio Cruz providing color commentary.

Tom Hutyler has been the Mariners' public address announcer since 1987, first at the Kingdome, and presently at Safeco Field.[36] While KOMO 1000 AM was the Mariners' flagship radio station, Hutyler occasionally hosted the post-game radio show.

Franchise records and award winners

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Main articles: Seattle Mariners team records and Seattle Mariners award winners and league leaders

Season records

See also

Footnotes

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  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ RetroSheet.org box score: Game Played on Wednesday, April 6, 1977 (N) at Kingdome
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ http://m.mlb.com/news/article/152081594/jerry-dipoto-named-mariners-general-manager
  19. ↑ Associated Press (October 9, 2015). "Seattle Mariners fire manager Lloyd McClendon after two seasons". ESPN. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum: Home
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Mailbag: Bloomquist at second?
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Tom Hutyler at KOMO News

External links

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