It took the expansion Seattle Mariners 14 years to produce a winning team.

The Mariners began play in 1977, eight years after the Seattle Pilots had moved to Milwaukee after only one season. The Mariners ended their inaugural 1977 season with a 64-98 record. Two years later the club moved up to 6th place, led by the hitting of Bruce Bochte, .316, 100 RBI's and DH Willie Horton, 29 HR's, 106 RBI's.

In January 1981, real-estate magnate George Aryros purchased the club, spent money on players, added starting pitchers Floyd Bannister, Gaylord Perry and relievers Bill Caudill and rookie Ed VandeBerg arrived.

1984 saw the arrival of two standout players, Rookie of the Year Alvin Davis, 27 HR's, 116 RBI's and pitcher Mark Langston, winner of 17 games. Seattle produced it's first winning season in 1991, thanks to the arrival of Ken Griffey, Jr. In 1992, the Mariners were sold to a group of Japanese-American Nationals including the president of computer games Nintendo Co. Baseballhistorian.com - Baseball History

For complete stats of all baseball players, please see Players section on the upper left-side of our home page

For loads of fun reading, type in Yankees, Cardinals, Pirates, Red Sox, Cubs or all other teams in our Search on the lower left-side of our home page  

The Famous "Green Box"

What's a green box and why is it so famous? Well, just like a baseball dugout, that's where the stories are told. The "Green Box" appeared on the Baseball Historian web site during our inception back in 1999 and has been holding kangaroo court ever since. Enjoy the stories...

Seattle Mariners' (1988) Minor League Players

A sneak preview of future major league hopefuls finds the Seattle Mariners loaded with potential all-stars in their farm system in 1988. Playing for Calgary, third baseman Edgar Martinez batted .363 to win the Pacific Coast League's batting title. Martinez looks like a sure star and rates as one of the best clutch-hitters in the minors. Teammate Eric Hanson, 6'6" RH, is impressive with his 12-7 record. Hanson tossed a no-hitter against Las Vegas and finished at 12-7 in '88, striking out 154 batters in 162 innings. In 1988, outfielder Jay Buhner hit .256, 8 homers in only 129 trips to the plate. Buhner appears to be a genuine long ball hitter. Omar Vizquel was the Eastern League's AA all-star shortstop. Vizquel hit only .253 but his fielding talent is tops in the minors. Vizquel has speed, 30 stolen bases at Vermont, and rates as a defensive wizard at shortstop. Looking like the best future major league prospect, lefty batting Ken Griffey Jr. looks a lot like his father, but possess much more power. Griffey Jr. hit .338, 11 homers in only 219 at bats for San Bernardino. Griffey was moved up to AA, overcame a sore back and hit .279 in 61 at bats. The Mariners have loads of pitching talent at AA ball. Armed with a blazing fastball, Clint Zavaras fanned 120 in 129 innings. Zavaras went 10-7, 3.29 ERA. Pitcher Greg Brinkman looks ready to move up to AAA. Brinkman was 11-7 and posted the 3rd lowest ERA in the league, 2.46. Mark Wooden looks to be a future big league fireman. Wooden gained 21 saves, 2nd best in the league and was 8-5, 3.36 ERA. Baseballhistorian.com (1988) Minor Leagues

Presley Homers In 10th, Mariners Win

June 15, 1987, Seattle. News Flash - Third baseman Jim Presley hit a leadoff homer in the bottom of the 10th off Rich Yett, giving the Mariners a 4-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians. The Mariners ended a four game losing streak. The Indians were leading 3-1 entering the eight when Mariners' catcher Dave Valle blasted a two-out, two run homer off reliever Scott Bailes, tying the score 3-3. Presley's homer was his 14th of the year and Valle's his 6th. Time of Game 3:06, Attendance 12,296. For more baseball news, type in - newspaper clippings - into the 'Search' located on the Home Page. Baseballhistorian.com News Flash