History of the Seattle Mariners

The Mariners became the second major league baseball team to play in Seattle, but the first team, the Seattle Pilots, played only for a very short time before leaving the city and becoming the Milwaukee Brewers in 1970. Seattle and the state of Washington responded to the Pilots' move out of Seattle with a lawsuit against the American League. After six years of battling the lawsuit, the American League agreed to establish a major league franchise in Seattle. One of the owners of the new Seattle Mariners was Danny Kaye.

1977-1979

The Seattle Mariners were established in 1977, and like many new teams, they struggled in their first years. They finished with a 64-98 record in 1977. They had losing seasons again in 1978 and 1979, under the leadership of manager Darrell Johnson.

1980-1989

In 1981, George Argyros purchased the Mariners. However, even with new ownership and strong players like pitching ace Gaylord Perry, the Mariners struggled. They consistently ended with losing records and diminishing attendance at their home games. From 1980 through 1989, their best season was in 1987, when they had 78 wins and 84 losses.

The Mariners went through eight managers in the 1980s. Darrell Johnson was replaced by Maury Wills in 1980. Wills didn't last long, and he was replaced by Rene Lachemann in 1981. Del Crandall (1983-1984), Chuck Cottier (1984-1986), Dick Williams (1986-1988), Jim Snyder (1988), and Jim Lefebvre (1989-1991) were the other managers.

In 1988, the Mariners' ownership changed again, this time to a group led by Jeff Smulyan. The two bright spots for the team at the end of the 1980s were the addition of two future Hall of Fame players to their roster. Both pitcher Randy Johnson and Ken Griffey, Jr. joined the team in 1989.

1990-1999

The Mariners had a turnaround in 1991 when, under manager Jim Lefebvre, they finished the season with an 83-79 record. But, even with a winning record, the Mariners finished in fifth place in the American League West division. That fact ended the managing career of Lefebvre in Seattle. His replacement, Bill Plummer, did not help the Mariners advance in the standings and he was fired after the team lost 98 games in 1992.

During the 1992 season, the Mariners were bought by a group that included the CEO of Nintendo. In 1993, the new owners made a move that greatly impacted the team's future success. Lou Piniella was hired as the new manager and he led them to a winning season in his first year with 82 wins and 80 losses. They didn't fare as well in the strike shortened 1994 season, finishing with 49 wins and 63 losses.

The Mariners started the 1995 season with Griffey in the outfield, pitcher Randy Johnson leading the team's starting rotation, and a new young rookie, Alex Rodriguez, at shortstop. An injury to Griffey early in the season didn't seem to hurt the Mariners, but they struggled later in the year. Still, Piniella did not give up and he eventually led the team to their first AL West division title with 79 wins and 66 losses. They faced the formidable New York Yankees in the American League Division series and their determination and a final fifth game-winning double by Edgar Martinez to drive in two runs gave the Mariners their first AL division title. They went on to the American League Championship series but lost to the Cleveland Indians. Piniella was rewarded for his efforts in 1995 with the AL Manager of the Year award.

The Mariners had another winning season in 1996, but their 85 wins were not enough to get them to the postseason. They played better in 1997, winning 90 games and losing 72, and they once again won the AL West division title. They couldn't advance past the ALDS, however, losing the series to the Baltimore Orioles.

The last two seasons of the 1990s were losing ones for the Mariners. They still had a strong offense but a weak pitching staff ultimately led to their defeat. At his request, Randy Johnson was traded in the 1998 mid-season, and a year later, Griffey requested, and was granted, a trade to the Cincinnati Reds.

In 1999, the Mariners' home games were moved to Safeco Field.

2000-2009

The 2000 season once again ended with postseason play for the Mariners, as they earned the AL Wild Card spot with 91 wins and 71 losses. The team, led by the hitting of Rodriguez, Martinez, and Rickey Henderson, defeated the Chicago White Sox in the AL division series but then fell to the Yankees in the ALCS.

The Mariners started the 2001 season without Alex Rodriguez, who had left as a free agent to the Rangers. However, the team acquired a new star player from Japan, Ichiro Suzuki, who would prove to be as valuable to the team as Rodriguez or Griffey had been. The Mariners had a great 2001 season, ending with 116 wins, the most wins in major league baseball. Behind the hitting and fielding of MVP, Rookie of the Year, and Gold Glove winner Ichiro Suzuki, they won the AL West division title. They defeated the Indians in the ALDS, but they couldn't defeat the Yankees in the ALCS for the American League pennant.

The Mariners faced disappointments at the end of the 2002 season. Although they played well that season with 93 wins and 69 losses, they didn't progress to postseason play. Then their long-time successful manager, Lou Piniella, left Seattle to manage the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The departure of Piniella ended the Mariners' postseason play.

Bob Melvin took over as manager of the Mariners in 2003, and he led them to another winning season. After a losing season in 2004 (63 wins to 99 losses), Melvin was replaced in 2005 by Mike Hargrove.

The Mariners added Adrian Beltre to their batting lineup and Felix Hernandez to their starting rotation in 2005, but they still kept losing and Hargrove was replaced in 2007 by John McLaren. The team fared better in 2007, with 88 wins and 74 losses, but that year was followed by a dismal one in 2008, with 61 wins and 101 losses.

Jim Riggleman took over as manager in 2008, but he didn't last long, and the 2009 season started with Don Wakamatsu as manager. He led the team to a winning season with 85 wins and 77 losses.

2010-2018

The Mariners started the new decade in last place in the AL West division with 61 wins and 101 losses. Wakamatsu was replaced by Eric Wedge in 2011, but Wedge didn't do much better, leading the team to 67 wins and 95 losses in his first year. They continued to finish in the bottom of the division in 2012 and 2013, although their win-loss record improved (75-87 in 2012 and 71-91 in 2013). Wedge was fired at the end of the 2013 season.

The Mariners started the 2014 season with new manager Lloyd McClendon and newly signed second baseman Robinson Cano. That new combination led the Mariners to a winning season (87-75) and a third place finish in the AL West division.

After a losing season again in 2015, McClendon was fired and replaced in 2016 by Scott Servais. He led the team to a winning season in 2016, with 86 wins and 76 losses, and a second place finish in the AL West division. However, they still didn't get to the postseason.

The Mariners had an injury-plagued 2017 season and they finished with 78 wins and 84 losses. That year, they had to use 40 pitchers, with 17 as starting pitchers. They fared better in 2018, with a third place finish in the AL West division with 89 wins and 73 losses.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Seattle Mariners
Baseball Reference - Seattle Mariners