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The Seattle Mariners are a Major League Baseball team based in Seattle, Washington . They are in the West Division of the American League . They entered the league along with the Toronto Blue Jays for the 1977 season. The Mariners' majority owner is Nintendo Of America , the US arm of the video game company based in Japan. The Mariners failed to register a winning record until 1991 , and, despite several playoff appearances in the late 1990s and early 2000s and tying the 1906 Chicago Cubs for an all-time-record 116 wins in 2001 , they remain one of just five MLB teams never to have played in a World Series . FRANCHISE HISTORY Before Seattle got major league baseball, Seattle was a AAA stronghold of the Pacific Coast League . The first attempt to land a major league team failed when a bid by William Daley to move the Cleveland Indians to Seattle in 1965 failed. In late 1967, Daley, by then having sold the Indians, led a consortium to win a franchise in the 1969 expansion. That team was the Seattle Pilots . 1970s and 1980s: Creation and Persistent Stagnation The Mariners were created as a direct result of a lawsuit. In 1970, in the aftermath of the Pilots' purchase and relocation to Milwaukee by future Commissioner Of Baseball Bud Selig , the City of Seattle, King County , and the State Of Washington (led by Attorney General and future U.S. Senator Slade Gorton ) sued the American League for Breach Of Contract . Confident that, somehow, major league baseball would return to Seattle within a few years, Seattle built the Kingdome , which would hold the NFL's expansion Seattle Seahawks in 1976 regardless, as a multi-purpose stadium. The lawsuit continued until 1976. At trial, the American League offered to give Seattle an expansion baseball franchise in return for dropping the suit. The details were ironed out over the next year. To keep the league with an even number of teams, a formal expansion proceeding was held, with a second team, the Toronto Blue Jays , being awarded. The Mariners played their first game on and 1980s was characterized by perennial non-achievement. In the team's inaugural season of 1977, pitcher Diego Segui , in his last major league season, became the only player to play for both the Pilots and the Mariners. Despite having stars such as Gaylord Perry (the famed Spitballer , who was inducted into the Baseball Hall Of Fame in 1991 , spent the final two years of his 20+ season career with Seattle and was given the nickname "The Ancient Mariner"), Alvin Davis ( American League Rookie Of The Year ( 1984 )), Harold Reynolds (two-time All-Star ( 1987-88 ) and three-time Gold-Glover ( 1988-90 )), and Mark Langston (league-leader in Strikeout s pitched ( 1984 , 1986 - 87 )), team captain SS Spike Owen the team gained a reputation for poor performances and losing records. The rookie season ( 1989 ) of center fielder Ken Griffey, Jr. , acquired with the first pick in the first round of the 1987 amateur draft, gave fans hope that a change of fortunes might be on the horizon. 1990–1994: A Glimmer of Hope After yet another dismal performance in 1990 , the Mariners managed their first winning season in 1991 , finishing 83-79 under manager Jim Lefebvre . Though it was the team's best season up to that point, it was only good enough for a fifth place finish in their seven-team division, and Lefebvre was fired. Bill Plummer was hired as manager for the 1992 Season , but was fired at the end of the year following 98 losses and an ownership change in July. During the following offseason, the Mariners hired manager Lou Piniella , who had managed the Cincinnati Reds to victory in the 1990 World Series . Mariner fans embraced Piniella, and he would end up managing the team from 1993 through 2002 , winning two American League Manager Of The Year Award s. The Mariners' fortunes began to improve in 1994 . Since the late 1980s, the team had added a core of strong players built around center fielder Ken Griffey, Jr. , pitcher Randy Johnson , third baseman Edgar Martinez , and right fielder Jay Buhner . On July 19 , 1994 , four 15-pound ceiling tiles crashed down from the Kingdome roof. The incident led to uncertainty over whether the Kingdome was fit for use as a major league stadium, and may well have ultimately been a factor leading to the construction of Safeco Field . The Player's Association rejected the idea of playing games at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma or BC Place in Vancouver while the Kingdome was repaired, deciding that games should not be played in non-MLB ballparks. This forced the Mariners to play their next 20 games on the road over the span of 21 days. The long trip began miserably as the Mariners started off 2-8, but rebounded to win nine of their next ten games, leaving them just 2 games behind the division-leading Texas Rangers when a Players' Strike was called on August 12 that resulted in the cancellation the rest of the season. Many players felt the time together on the road and the overcoming of the adversity faced that season fed directly into the success the team would achieve in the 1995 season.1 1995 season: "Refuse to Lose" Although pitchers Randy Johnson , Bill Risley , and Bobby Ayala combined for an opening-day three-hit Shutout , the Mariners' 1995 season started off on a bad note overall, as Griffey sustained a major early-season injury. Despite this loss, the Mariners continued to play fairly well. In mid-August, however, the Mariners appeared to be out of contention, 13 games behind the first-place California Angels . The tide turned with a September winning streak marked by late-inning comeback wins, which led to the slogan "Refuse to Lose." Combined with a losing streak by the Angels, this opened the way for the Mariners to end up tied with the Angels for first place at the end of the regular season, forcing a one-game playoff. The playoff pitted Johnson against Angels ace Mark Langston , whom, incidentally, the Mariners had traded for Johnson in 1989 . Langston ended up on the seat of his pants at homeplate failing to tag out Luis Sojo who came all the way around after clearing the bases with a ball that got by the Angels first baseman, J. T. Snow , rattled around underneath California's bullpen bench, and resulted in a hurried and errant cut-off throw from Langston. The Mariners won the tiebreaker game 9-1 and clinched their first-ever trip to the playoffs. The Mariners had won 25 of their last 36 games. in 1995 .]] The Mariners lost the first two games of the ALDS against the New York Yankees , but managed to win the next two at home and force a decisive Game 5. Down 5-4 in the bottom of the 11th inning, one of the most memorable moments in Mariners history took place. Edgar Martinez hit a game-winning double off Yankee ace Jack McDowell , scoring Joey Cora and Griffey to win the game 6-5 and advance to the American League Championship Series . "The Double", as Martinez's clutch hit has since been called by Mariners fans, is credited as being the moment that "saved baseball in Seattle" by generating interest in the team and making a new, baseball-only stadium possible. Many die-hard Mariners fans can still recite the Voice of the Mariners and game commentator 's Cleveland Indians , who won the series 4 games to 2, 1995 is remembered as "The Magical Season" with "The Double" still considered by many the greatest moment in Mariners history. 1996–1999: The Changing of the Guard In 1996 , the Mariners, led by Griffey, rookie shortstop Alex Rodriguez , and sluggers Jay Buhner and Edgar Martinez , won a then-team record 85 games, but missed the playoffs. The offense set the all-time record for most home runs by a team in a season, but ultimately the Mariners' inconsistent pitching, exacerbated by a midseason injury to Randy Johnson, doomed the team. (1976-July 1999)]] The Mariners won the division title again in 1997, but were defeated in the ALDS 3 games to 1 by the Baltimore Orioles . They were again hurt by a lack of pitching depth to complement the strong offense, which was led by Griffey, who won the MVP Award , a first for both him and the Mariners. In 1998 and 1999 , the Mariners had losing records due primarily to their lack of pitching depth. Randy Johnson was traded at the 1998 July non-waiver trading deadline to the Houston Astros after being inconsistent in the first half of the season; some fans and press thought he was trying to force a trade through malaise.2 Strong pitching from aces Jeff Fassero and Jamie Moyer was not enough to fully offset the loss, and the bullpen's struggles continued. Midway through the 1999 season, the Mariners moved to SAFECO Field . After the 1999 season, Ken Griffey, Jr. requested and attained a trade to the Cincinnati Reds , leaving Alex Rodriguez as the face of the franchise at the beginning of the high-expectation Safeco Field era. 2000 season: Winning the Wild Card ]] , Freddy Garcia , and Aaron Sele anchored what was easily the most successful rotation in Seattle since the departure of Randy Johnson. Closer Kazuhiro Sasaki , previously a star for the Japanese Yokohama BayStars , won the AL Rookie Of The Year Award . Stolen base king and former MVP Rickey Henderson was acquired midseason and filled longtime needs in left field and in the leadoff slot. The Mariners swept the Chicago White Sox in the ALDS, but lost to the New York Yankees in six games in the ALCS. The following offseason was one of the most significant in Mariners history, as Rodríguez was up for Free Agency . Ultimately, Rodríguez was lost to the Texas Rangers for what was then the richest contract ever in professional sports. However, the Mariners were able to weather the loss by adding Japanese superstar Ichiro Suzuki and slick fielding, power hitting second base veteran Bret Boone . 2001 season: The 116 Win Season joined the Mariners in 2001]] In , and pitchers Freddy Garcia, Kazuhiro Sasaki, and Jeff Nelson . 2002–2003: Continuing the Momentum The Mariners started the 2002 season hot (they were on pace to win 100+ games again well into the summer), but they missed out on the playoffs. This was widely attributed to their failure to find a substantial contributor at the trade deadline3 and hot streaks by the Anaheim Angels and Oakland Athletics in the later months of the season. Ultimately, the Angels won the World Series as the Mariners won 93 games, which was still the second best total in their history. At the end of the season, manager Lou Piniella left the Mariners to manage his hometown Tampa Bay Devil Rays , reportedly due to his anger with management; Piniella believed that management was more concerned with the bottom line than acquiring quality players.4 The Mariners signed Bob Melvin to be their new manager. The local press speculated that a first year manager (especially someone more even-tempered than the fiery Piniella) would be easier for the front office and ownership to control.5 The Mariners again got off to an excellent start in the 2003 season. They contended all season long and reached the same record as in 2002, but were again beaten to the playoffs by their division rival Oakland Athletics . Their failure to make the playoffs was again blamed on management's inability to bring in a bat at the trading deadline and the aging roster's decline. Notably, the debate was started by pitcher Jeff Nelson , who was himself traded after criticizing the front office's deadline inactivity.6 General manager Pat Gillick became a consultant midway through the offseason to make room for new GM Bill Bavasi . 2004–2006: Quiet Days at Safeco With the exception of the 1998 and 1999 seasons, the Mariners had been annual challengers for the AL West title from 1995 through 2003. The 2004 season, however, saw the fall of the Mariners from contention. With an aging roster, the Mariners went into the All-Star Break with a 9-game losing streak, and a 32-54 season record (.372) 17 games behind the first-place Texas Rangers. After the All-Star break, unable to ignore the dreadful state of their team, the Mariners gave the team a complete overhaul, trading Freddy Garcia to the Chicago White Sox for Miguel Olivo , Jeremy Reed , and Mike Morse and moving aging and struggling players away from center stage (most notably, releasing Gold Glover and fan favorite John Olerud) and inserting over a dozen Minor League call-ups into the 25-man roster. The season's end was enlivened by Ichiro breaking George Sisler 's single season record of 257 hits (finishing with 262) and by events honoring the retirement of Mariner icon Edgar Martinez. Just days after the end of the season, the Mariners fired manager Bob Melvin. On October 20 , 2004 , the Mariners announced the signing of Mike Hargrove , who had led the Cleveland Indians past the Mariners in the 1995 ALCS , as their new manager. In the offseason, the Mariners and Bavasi surprised fans and the local press by signing two premier free agents, third baseman Adrian Beltre and first baseman Richie Sexson , ending some accusations from fans that the organization was only willing to make piecemeal signings and trades.7 Despite several personnel changes and free-agent signings after the 2004 season, the team stayed at the bottom of the divisional standings throughout the 2005 season and finished in last place, though they improved their record by six games compared to the previous year. The brightest spot of the season was the emergence of 19-year-old and IF/OF Mike Morse. During the 2005-2006 off-season, Ichiro spoke out and criticized the team's attitude, pointing out its lack of leadership and manager Hargrove's failure to harness players.8 The Mariners began the 2005–2006 off-season by signing star Japanese catcher Kenji Johjima to a 3-year deal and left-handed starter Jarrod Washburn (formerly of division rival Los Angeles ) to a 4-year deal. Designated hitter Carl Everett and outfielder Matt Lawton also joined the team, although both would finish the season out of baseball. The Mariners entered the All-Star Break 2.5 games out of first place in the AL West with a 43-46 record. Despite remaining in contention within the AL West through July, a disastrous 0-11 road trip in mid-August signaled the end of the Mariners' playoff hopes, leaving them in last place, where they would finish the season. Pitcher Jamie Moyer was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for a pair of minor league prospects, and weeks later bench coach Ron Hassey and administrative coach Dan Rohn —whom many viewed as a prime candidate to replace Hargrove as manager9—were removed from their positions with the team. At season's end, the Mariners had only narrowly avoided losing 90 games for the third consecutive year. While the team entered the 2006-2007 off-season with some young talent in key positions, many questions remained as to the consistency of their offense and, more importantly, the strength of their starting pitching staff. 2007: Back in the Playoff Hunt The 2007 season began with a sense of muted optimism. While the team had a busy off-season in terms of changes to the roster, fans questioned player transactions that moved young, potential-filled players ( Rafael Soriano , Chris Snelling ) in favor of veterans who have suffered injuries in recent seasons ( José Guillén , José Vidro , Horacio Ramírez ) or who have achieved mediocre success in the past with other clubs ( Miguel Batista , Jeff Weaver ). These transactions followed CEO Howard Lincoln's remarks at the completion of the 2006 campaign that GM Bill Bavasi and manager Mike Hargrove were on his "hot seat" and needed to produce more wins in 2007; further magnifying the need to win was outfielder Ichiro Suzuki's suggestion at the beginning of spring training that he may have an interest in testing free-agency waters when his contract is completed at the end of the season if the Mariners continue to struggle on the field. After two and a half seasons with the Mariners and while guiding the team to a 44-33 record in the 2007 season, Mike Hargrove announced before the July 1 2007 game against the Toronto Blue Jays that the game would be his last as the Mariners' manager. Hargrove said that he could no longer get the commitment from himself that he was expecting of his players and coaches. Bench coach John McLaren was announced as Hargrove's replacement.10 On July 13th, Ichiro Suzuki signed a 5 year 90 million dollar contract with the Mariners that will extend to 2012. With the new minor league prospect Adam Jones and a fairly consistent offense and pitching staff, the 2007 Mariners were back in contention of the AL West Pennant and Wild Card races. Since that time, a combination of managerial and player miscues have led to a fourth losing streak of six or more games - leaving the Mariners out of first place in the AL Wild Card, and decisively trailing the Angels in the AL West. On September 3rd, Suzuki homered to give him 200 hits in the 2007 season, and a 7th straight 200-hit season. SEASON RECORDS ''This is a partial list listing the past ten completed regular seasons. For the full season records, see Here .'' QUICK FACTS :Founded: 1977 ( American League expansion) :Uniform colors: Navy Blue , "Northwest Green" (teal), and metallic silver (Previously Royal Blue and Gold , 1977-1992) :Logo design: A baseball over a nautical Compass Rose . (Previously a Trident -shaped "M", 1977-80; a trident-shaped "M" within a star, 1981-86; and a drop-shadowed "S", 1987-92.) :Mascot: Mariner Moose , 1990-present. :Current ownership: Nintendo Of America (majority shareholder; represented by Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln , reporting to former Nintendo chairman and former majority shareholder Hiroshi Yamauchi ) :Spring Training Facility: Peoria Sports Complex , Peoria, AZ :Playoff appearances (4): 1995 , 1997 , 2000 , 2001 :Local television: FSN Northwest (selected games simulcast on Rogers Sportsnet Pacific), KSTW BASEBALL HALL OF FAMERS No one has yet been enshrined into the Baseball Hall Of Fame based primarily on service with the Mariners. Gaylord Perry (P, 1982-83) is the only current Hall of Famer to have worn a Mariners uniform. MARINERS HALL OF FAME The team has a Mariners Hall of Fame, with the following members:
RETIRED NUMBERS The Seattle Mariners have not retired any uniform numbers. It is stated Mariners policy that only players in the National Baseball Hall of Fame who played for at least five years with the Mariners, or career Mariners players who narrowly avoid election, will have their numbers officially retired. mariners.mlb.com Mailbag, 03/20/2006 Despite not officially retiring any numbers, the team has not reissued the numbers 11 ( Edgar Martinez ), 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. 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. Jackie Robinson 's number, 42, was retired throughout Major League Baseball on April 15, 1997. CURRENT ROSTER MINOR LEAGUE AFFILIATIONS
RADIO AND TELEVISION Since 2003, the Mariners' flagship radio station has been KOMO 1000 AM. Flagship stations were previously KIRO 710 AM (1985-2002) and KVI 570 AM (1977-1984). Television rights are held by Fox Sports Net Northwest. Some games produced by FSN are also shown in Seattle on KSTW , Seattle's CW network affiliate. During KSTW broadcasts in the Seattle market, FSN airs an alternate feed to broadcast the game to the rest of the network's Northwest territory, which includes the rest of Washington , Oregon , Alaska , and parts of Idaho and Montana . In years past, Mariners games have also appeared in Seattle on KIRO-TV . Some Mariners games are also available on Canadian television, due to an agreement between FSN Northwest and Rogers Sportsnet . Selected games on FSN Northwest are simulcast on Rogers Sportsnet Pacific, which is the Rogers Sportsnet feed available to viewers in the network's Pacific region (i.e., British Columbia and the Yukon ). Digital Cable and Satellite TV subscribers, receive all four Rogers Sportsnet regional feeds, meaning that they are also able to view the games, regardless of their region of residence. The Mariners broadcast team in 2007 will continue to feature Dave Niehaus and Rick Rizzs , back for their 31st and 22nd seasons with the club, respectively. Following the retirement of Ron Fairly at the completion of the 2006 season, the Mariners announced that Niehaus will do play-by-play on radio broadcasts chiefly, after working the first three innings of the television broadcast. Rizzs will provide Color Commentary on radio only. Television broadcasts will feature newly-hired veteran broadcaster Dave Sims on play-by-play from the fourth inning on, with former Mariners infielder Mike Blowers handling color commentary duties. Additionally, former players Dave Valle and Dave Henderson are expected to be retained in limited roles after spending the last decade providing color commentary on radio and TV broadcasts. Spanish-language radio broadcast duties are handled by Raul Sandoval on play-by-play and former second baseman Julio Cruz . Mariners Radio Network Stations Stations are listed by state, then city. All stations broadcast on the AM band unless otherwise noted. SEE ALSO
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