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In 1977 baseball came back to Seattle. Several teams had tried to establish clubs there, but had failed. This time the team, the Mariners, would stay.The Mariners came out with a 64-98 record. They struggled early on, like most expansion teams. This struggle went beyond the normal growing pains though, lasting until 1991.The Mariners had several talented players on the roster, like pitcher Gaylord Perry, first baseman Alvin Davis, second baseman Harold Reynolds, pitcher Mark Langston, and shortstop Spike Owen. The club just could not pull the team together.
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About The Seattle Mariners
1991 marked the first time the Mariners finished above .500. The team followed the season with some ups and downs, but was building a team that could continually challenge in the American League West.
The roster of the ‘90s included talent like Ken Griffey, Jr., Randy Johnson, Edgar Martinez, and right fielder Jay Buhner. The club emerged in 1995 after falling 15.5 games behind the Angels. The team won the AL West and made its first post season appearance.
The Mariners beat the Yankees in the ALDS, but lost the Indians in the ALCS. The club finished second the following year and missed the playoffs, but then one the West again in 1997. The Mariners suffered an early exit, losing to the Baltimore Orioles in the ALDS.
The lack of pitching depth caught up to the Mariners and they followed the 1997 season with two losing seasons. The Mariners then began to get better by subtraction of its major stars. Randy Johnson was traded for pitching in 1998, and Ken Griffey was traded in 1999. Alex Rodriguez was left as the lone superstar on the team.
The Mariners went 91-71, finishing second in the West and returning to the playoffs via the wild card. The club defeated the White Sox in the ALDS, but lost to the Yankees in the ALCS.
The offseason would see Alex Rodriguez leave for free agency. The now faceless franchise found its star in Ichiro Suzuki. Ichiro was the opposite of Griffey and Rodriguez, he was a singles machine. The singles machine and the rest of the Mariners won 116 games in 2001.
That tied the record for most victories in a season with the 1906 Cubs. Like the 1906 Cubs, however, the Mariners could not turn the record season into a World Series, losing in the ALCS to the Yankees.
Since then, the Mariners have either put up great records in a highly competitive division and not made the playoffs or put up poor records.
That the Seattle Mariners ownership cares very little about the performance of the team is no secret. The second to last record in all of baseball did little to change this perception or reality. A real baseball fan would try and do something, even take on more salary, to change the pitiful direction the Mariners have taken and the potential for whole rows of empty seats at Safeco Field.
Alas, the Mariners are staying on course. Despite the disastrous numbers put by the pitchers and the batting lineup, the team does have some hope. That hope on the mound is known as Felix Hernandez. Hernandez is only 22 but has pitched four MLB seasons. Last season was far from his greatest but the potential is obvious. Behind him Erik Bedard is passable and Jarrod Washburn continues to try and turn his once promising career around.
The offense relies on Ichiro Suzuki to get on base and Adrian Beltre to drive him in, but the team will need more players to contribute, especially with the loss of Raul Ibanez. Jose Lopez is the prime suspect to pick up that slack. The 25-year-old second baseman has some power and the ability to make contact, a rarity on this roster.
