Seattle Mariners

Seattle Mariners
2012 Seattle Mariners season
Established	1977
Team logo Cap Insignia
Major league affiliations
American League (1977–present) West Division (1977–present)
Current uniform
Colors
Navy Blue, Northwest Green, Metallic Silver, White
Name
Seattle Mariners (1977–present)
Other nicknames
The M's
Ballpark
Safeco Field (1999–present) King County Domed Stadium ("Kingdome") (1977–1999)
Major league titles
World Series titles (0)	None
AL Pennants (0)	None
West Division titles (3)	2001 • 1997 • 1995
Wild card berths (1)	2000
Front office
Owner(s)	Nintendo of America, represented by Howard Lincoln
Manager	Eric Wedge
General Manager	Jack Zduriencik

The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in 1977, the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July 1999. From their 1977 inception until June 1999, the club's home park was the Kingdome.

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 (also known as dark cyan), and Metallic Silver, after having been Royal Blue and Gold from 1977–1992. 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 Martinez 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.

Despite several successful seasons, especially between 1995 and 2001, they are one of only two MLB franchises (and the only American League team) never to have gained a berth in a World Series; the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals of the National League are the other team.

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 and the Toronto Blue Jays.

History

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.^[1] 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 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.^[2] The first home run in team history was hit on April 10, 1977, by designated hitter Juan Bernhardt.^[3] That year, star pitcher Diego Segui, 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.

In 1993, the Mariners donned their current uniforms. 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,^[4] 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 led the major leagues in winning percentage all season long, easily winning the American League West division championship, breaking the 1998 Yankees American League single-season record of 114 wins, and matching the 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'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.^[5] 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.^[6] 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.^[7]

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.^[8]

The Mariners hired former Cleveland Indians manager Eric Wedge as their new manager on October 19, 2010.^[9]

On November 10, 2010, Dave Niehaus, the Mariners' play-by-play announcer since the team's founding, died of a heart attack at the age of 75.

On July 27, 2011, the Mariners ended a team high 17-game losing streak with a win against the New York Yankees.

Spring training

The team mainly plays spring training games in Peoria, Arizona. They share the complex and stadium with the San Diego Padres.

Season records

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

Totals

Year	Record	Win %	Place	Playoffs	Notes
1998	76–85	.472	3rd in AL West
1999	79–83	.488	3rd in AL West
2000	91–71	.562	2nd in AL West	Won ALDS vs Chicago White Sox, 3–0 Lost ALCS vs New York Yankees, 4–2.
2001	116–46	.716	1st in AL West	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 playoffs.
2002	93–69	.574	3rd in AL West		Team Celebrates 25th anniversary of the franchise
2003	93–69	.574	2nd in AL West
2004	63–99	.389	4th in AL West		Ichiro breaks 84-year-old hits record, with 262 hits.
2005	69–93	.426	4th in AL West
2006	78–84	.481	4th in AL West
2007	88–74	.543	2nd in AL West		Team Celebrates 30th anniversary of the franchise
2008	61–101	.377	4th in AL West		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 playoffs. 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 wins the Ford C. Frick Award and enters the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
2009	85–77	.520	3rd in AL West		Ichiro breaks the record for most consecutive 200-hit seasons at 9.
2010	61–101	.377	4th in AL West		Félix Hernández wins 2010 AL Cy Young Award. Ichiro and Franklin Gutiérrez win 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 has 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 in AL West		Pitchers Felix Hernandez, Brandon League, and Michael Pineda are named all-stars, but only League and Pineda appear in the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

Baseball Hall of Famers

The following elected members of the Baseball Hall of Fame spent part of their careers with the Mariners. None is depicted on his plaque wearing a Mariners cap insignia.^[10]

Seattle Mariners Hall of Famers
Affiliation according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
Seattle Mariners Gaylord Perry Pat Gillick† Goose Gossage Rickey Henderson Dick Williams Players 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.[11]

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

Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame

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:

• Dave Niehaus, Broadcaster (1977–2010)
• 21 Alvin Davis, 1B (1984–91)
• 19 Jay Buhner, OF (1988–2001)
• 11 Edgar Martínez, DH (1987–2004)

Award winners

Cy Young Award winners

• 51 Randy Johnson , LHP, AL Cy Young Award Winner (1995)
• 34 Félix Hernández , RHP, AL Cy Young Award Winner (2010)

Most Valuable Player Award winners

• 24 Ken Griffey, Jr. , OF, AL MVP Award Winner (1997)
• 51 Ichiro Suzuki , OF, AL MVP Award Winner (2001)

Rookie of the Year Award winners

• 21 Alvin Davis , 1B, AL Rookie of the Year (1984)
• 22 Kazuhiro Sasaki , P, AL Rookie of the Year (2000)
• 51 Ichiro Suzuki , OF, AL Rookie of the Year (2001)

Manager of the Year Award winners

• 14 Lou Piniella , AL Manager of the Year (1995) & (2001)

Rolaids Relief Man Award winners

• 20 J.J. Putz , P, AL Rolaids Relief Man Award Winner (2007)

Roberto Clemente Award winners

• 4 Harold Reynolds , 2B, Roberto Clemente Award Winner (1991)
• 50 Jamie Moyer , P, Roberto Clemente Award Winner (2003)
• 11 Edgar Martinez , DH, Roberto Clemente Award Winner (2004)

All-Star nominees

• Ruppert Jones , OF, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (1977)
• Craig Reynolds , SS, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (1978)
• Bruce Bochte , 1B, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (1979)
• Rick Honeycutt , P, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (1980)
• Tom Paciorek , OF, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (1981)
• Floyd Bannister , P, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (1982)
• Matt Young , P, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (1983)
• Alvin Davis , 1B, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (1984)
• Phil Bradley , OF, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (1985)
• Jim Presley , 3B, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (1986)
• Mark Langston , P, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (1987)
• Harold Reynolds , 2B, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (1987,1988)
• Jeffrey Leonard , DH, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (1989)
• Randy Johnson , P, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (1990,1993-1995,1997)
• Ken Griffey, Jr. , OF, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (1990-1999)
• Edgar Martinez , 3B/DH, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (1992,1995-1997,2000,2001,2003)
• Tino Martinez , 1B, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (1995)
• Dan Wilson , C, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (1996)
• Alex Rodriguez , SS, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (1996-1998,2000,2001)
• Jay Buhner , OF, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (1996)
• Joey Cora , 2B, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (1997)
• John Olerud , 1B, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (2001)
• Bret Boone , 2B, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (2001,2003)
• Ichiro Suzuki , OF, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (2001-2010)
• Freddy Garcia , P, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (2001,2002)
• Kazuhiro Sasaki , P, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (2001,2002)
• Shigetoshi Hasegawa , P, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (2003)
• Jamie Moyer , P, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (2003)
• José López , 2B, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (2006)
• JJ Putz , P, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (2007)
• Félix Hernández , P, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (2009,2011)
• Brandon League , P, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (2011)
• Michael Pineda , P, AL Major League Baseball All-Star (2011)

Retired numbers

Jackie Robinson Retired by all of MLB Retired 1997

The Seattle Mariners have not retired any uniform numbers. Official team policy states that number retirement is reserved for players in the National Baseball Hall of Fame who played for at least five years with the Mariners, or career Mariners players whose name appears at least once on the Hall of Fame ballot.^[12]

Despite not officially retiring any numbers, the team has not reissued the numbers 11 (Edgar Martínez), 14 (Lou Piniella), 19 (Jay Buhner) or 24 (Ken Griffey, Jr.) to any uniformed staff since the last player to have worn the number left the team.

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.^[13]

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

Number 51, worn by Randy Johnson, was withheld from players from 1998 until 2001, when it was awarded to Ichiro Suzuki upon his request after wearing it for his entire career in Japan.

24 was not issued from the time Ken Griffey, Jr. left the team after the 1999 season until it was re-issued to him when he returned in 2009 and has not been reissued since his retirement in 2010.

Culture

Rally Fries

Main article: 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 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.^[14]

However, on the next game, fans made signs and boards, asking Blowers for free fries as well. Coincidently, 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 on the road, though on August 1, 2009, Blowers mentioned he doesn't award winners on the road.^[15]

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 common sight in Safeco Field. Ivar's is a Seattle-based seafood restaurant. 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.

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. It's both an odd and hilarious gimmick, adding to the sheer spectacle of the King's Court. ^[16]

Current roster

Seattle Mariners rosterview · talk · edit
Active roster				Inactive roster		Coaches/Other
Pitchers 49 Blake Beavan 57 Dan Cortes 35 Steve Delabar 41 Charlie Furbush 34 Félix Hernández -- Danny Hultzen 37 César Jiménez 23 Shawn Kelley 43 Brandon League 31 Josh Lueke 74 Yoervis Medina 36 Michael Pineda 67 Mauricio Robles 52 Chance Ruffin 38 Jason Vargas 54 Tom Wilhelmsen		Catchers  5 Chris Gimenez 10 Adam Moore 30 Miguel Olivo Infielders 13 Dustin Ackley  9 Chone Figgins 16 Alex Liddi -- Francisco Martinez 26 Brendan Ryan 15 Kyle Seager 17 Justin Smoak -- Carlos Triunfel Outfielders 20 Mike Carp 70 Johermyn Chávez -- Chih-Hsien Chiang 21 Franklin Gutiérrez 56 Greg Halman  8 Carlos Peguero 12 Trayvon Robinson 55 Michael Saunders 51 Ichiro Suzuki 33 Casper Wells 44 Mike Wilson Designated hitters None Specified				Manager 22 Eric Wedge Coaches 18 Mike Brumley (first base) 40 Chris Chambliss (hitting) 28 Jeff Datz (third base) 47 Jaime Navarro (bullpen) 62 Jason Phillips (bullpen catcher)  6 Robby Thompson (bench) 48 Carl Willis (pitching) 38 Active, 0 Inactive 7- or 15-day disabled list † Suspended list # Personal leave Roster updated November 18, 2011 Transactions • Depth chart → All MLB rosters

Minor league affiliations

Level	Team	League	Location
AAA	Tacoma Rainiers	Pacific Coast League	Tacoma, WA
AA	Jackson Generals	Southern League	Jackson, TN
Advanced A	High Desert Mavericks	California League	Adelanto, CA
A	Clinton LumberKings	Midwest League	Clinton, IA
Short Season A	Everett AquaSox	Northwest League	Everett, WA
Rookie	Pulaski Mariners	Appalachian League	Pulaski, VA
	AZL Mariners	Arizona League	Peoria, AZ
	VSL Mariners	Venezuelan Summer League	Venezuela
	DSL Mariners	Dominican Summer League	Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic

Radio and television

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, and KSTW-TV. Select Mariners games are also available on Canadian television, due to an agreement between Root Sports Northwest and Rogers 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 are being filled by a collection of temporary stand-ins such as Ron Fairley, Ken Levine and former Mariners' players such as Dave Valle, Dan Wilson Jay Buhner and Dave Henderson. 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.^[17] During the period that KOMO 1000 AM was the Mariners' flagship radio station, Hutyler occasionally hosted the post-game radio show.

Franchise records

Main article: Seattle Mariners team records

Season records

• Highest Batting Average: .372, Ichiro Suzuki (2004)
• Most Runs: 141, Alex Rodriguez (1996)
• Most Hits: 262, Ichiro Suzuki (2004) (Major League Record)
• Highest Slugging %: .674, Ken Griffey Jr. (1994)
• Highest On Base %: .479, Edgar Martínez (1995)
• Highest On-Base Plus Slugging: 1.107, Edgar Martínez (1995)
• Most Doubles: 54, Alex Rodriguez (1996)
• Most Triples: 12, Ichiro Suzuki (2005)
• Most Home Runs: 56, Ken Griffey Jr. (1997,98)
• Most Grand Slams: 4, Edgar Martínez (2000)
• Most RBIs: 147, Ken Griffey Jr. (1997)
• Most Stolen Bases: 60, Harold Reynolds (1987)
• Most Wins: 21, Jamie Moyer (2003)
• Lowest ERA: 2.27, Félix Hernández (2010)
• Strikeouts: 308, Randy Johnson (1993)
• Complete Games: 14, Mike Moore (1985) and Mark Langston (1987)
• Saves: 45, Kazuhiro Sasaki (2001)

See also

	Seattle portal
	Baseball portal

• Mariners award winners and league leaders
• Mariners statistical records and milestone achievements
• List of Seattle Mariners broadcasters
• Managers of the Seattle Mariners
• Rick "The Peanut Man" Kaminski

Footnotes

1. ^ Cour, Jim (1999-06-27). "Good riddance". The Austin American-Statesman. 
2. ^ RetroSheet.org box score: Game Played on Wednesday, April 6, 1977 (N) at Kingdome
3. ^ Griffeys made home run history in '90 | Mariners.com: News
4. ^ Raley, Dan (2003-07-12). "Piniella returns to Seattle's warm embrace". The Seattle Post-Intelligencer. http://www.seattlepi.com/baseball/130629_lou12.html. Retrieved 2007-09-28. 
5. ^ Stone, Larry (October 22, 2008). "M's hire Brewers' Jack Zduriencik as GM". The Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/mariners/2008297647_webmari23.html. 
6. ^ . http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/wires/02/16/2010.ap.bba.mariners.jealousies.0995/. ^{[dead link]}
7. ^ http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100602&content_id=10725878&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb
8. ^ http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100809&content_id=13232624&vkey=news_sea&fext=.jsp&c_id=sea
9. ^ http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/10/18/mariners-announce-hiring-of-eric-wedge-move-praised-by-wood-le/
10. ^ National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum: Home
11. ^ Carr, Samantha (6 December 2010). "Emotional Election". National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. http://baseballhall.org/news/voting-news/emotional-election. Retrieved 5 January 2011. 
12. ^ mariners.mlb.com Mailbag, 03/20/2006
13. ^ http://www.grissomlover.com:80/me/macerana.jpg
14. ^ http://homerderby.com/archives/1130
15. ^ http://www.seattlepi.com/baseball/327493_moore14.html
16. ^ http://seattle.sbnation.com/seattle-mariners/2011/6/29/2246979/felix-hernandez-kings-court-mariners-marlins-calvinball
17. ^ Tom Hutyler at KOMO News

External links

• Seattle Mariners official website
• Seattle Mariners team statistics
• Sports E-Cyclopedia
• History of the Pilots and the lawsuit that resulted in the Mariners
• Video of Safeco Field
• U.S.S. Mariner Blog