Seattle Mariners

SEATTLE MARINERS

Major League Baseball in Seattle was first attempted with the Seattle Pilots, who played just one miserable season in 1969 before going bankrupt and being shipped off to Milwaukee.  The local population felt that the move wasn’t right, and began a lawsuit towards the MLB, which eventually ended in 1976 with the city receiving a new expansion team, the Seattle Mariners.

The Mariners began life in the Kingdome, a stadium they shared with the Seattle Seahawks.  While that venue has long since gone away outdated, at the time of its creation it was one of the most state-of-the art multi purpose facilities around. 

The Seattle Mariners began play in 1977 and struggled to make an impact.  While decent players were on the early lineups (including Spike Owen, Alvin Davis, Gaylord Perry, and Harold Reynolds), the team never managed to earn a winning season until 1991.  It was a hard time for the young team from Seattle.  Nobody believed.

But in 1989, a new young player changed all of that.  His name was Ken Griffey Jr., and for the next decade he would help turn the franchise into legitimate contenders.  Another thing that helped was the acquisition of the club by the Nintendo Corporation. 

With the new ownership in place and a new uniform, the Mariners’ fortunes began to change in the mid 90s.  Players like Randy Johnson, Jay Buhner, Edgar Martinez, and of course Ken Griffey Jr. began to make the team competitive.  1995 was the coming out party.

Despite some early-season struggles, Seattle made a strong run in September and reached the postseason for the first time in their history!  Then they defeated the New York Yankees in the ALDS with a dramatic extra-inning match featuring a dramatic series-clinching hit now known as “The Double”.  Unfortunately, that season would end just short of the World Series, as the Mariners fell to the Cleveland Indians in the ALCS.

In subsequent years, the Mariners began to benefit from the arrival of legendary hitter Alex Rodriguez, who brought a real potency to Seattle’s lineup.  1997 was another positive season that resulted in a trip to the playoffs.

However, things changed in the new millennium.  The team moved to Safeco Field, while star players like Randy Johnson and Ken Griffey Jr. left the club.  A-Rod would also soon leave, but the team replaced him with the incredibly consistent Japanese hitter Ichiro Suzuki. 

2001 was a special season for the Mariners, who broke the American League wins record by finishing the season 116-46, though they would fall to the Yankees in the ALCS.

Since then, the Seattle Mariners have not reached the postseason, now surpassing a full decade of such failure.  The hopes and dreams of this franchise now fall upon Robinson Cano, a pricey free agent that the team acquired in late 2013.  Perhaps he can spark another revival in this club and one day help the Mariners reach a World Series and ultimately lift it.  While there certainly remains a lot of work to be done in order to achieve that dream, the Seattle Mariners remain one of the most favored baseball teams in the country and have served their city proudly!