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The origins and history of the Seattle Mariners

The origins and history of the Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners play in the American League (AL) and are based in Seattle. The Mariners formed in 1977 and posted losing records until 1991 (a record for the longest period before a franchise won its first game). The squad has never participated in the World Series in the history of the current major league. The Seattle Mariners Jersey can be purchased here.

A Major League Baseball team had previously operated in Seattle for one year in 1969, and when it relocated, local governments sued the AL for damages. The league made the Mariners an expansion franchise promise in 1976 in exchange for them dismissing their lawsuit, and the Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays both entered the league the following year. Early Mariner teams, including 1984 AL Rookie of the Year Alvin Davis and two-time All-Star Harold Reynolds, struggled mightily and frequently finished near the bottom of divisional standings.

The slow transition to respectability can traced back to centre fielder Ken Griffey Jr.’s professional debut. Griffey was the biggest figure in sports in 1989, and the Mariners became competitive thanks to his ascent to fame. Under his direction, the team won two straight seasons in 1991 and 1993, but didn’t make the playoffs until 1995, when Edgar Martinez, Randy Johnson, and Jay Buhner were on the roster. With six weeks left to play in the regular season, the Mariners rallied from an 111/2-game deficit to the Anaheim Angels to win the AL Western division title despite a substandard stadium and declining attendance.

The Mariners defeated the New York Yankees in the first round of the playoffs after falling behind two games to none thanks to a two-run double by Martinez in the 11th inning of the series’ final game. Despite losing to the Cleveland Indians in the American League Championship Series (ALCS), the team’s revived fan base convinced county and state officials to support the development of Safeco Field, a baseball-only stadium (which opened in 1999; it later renamed T-Mobile Park). Another Seattle Mariner hero, shortstop Alex Rodriguez, broke into the scene in 1996, but these gifted teams only managed one playoff appearance over the following four years.

A six-game ALCS loss to the Yankees in 2000 brought Seattle back to the ALCS. The Mariners went on an improbable run and set an AL record with 116 victories after adding Japanese hitting sensation Ichiro Suzuki to the lineup in 2001. At this point, Johnson, Griffey, and Rodriguez were no longer on the roster. However, their historic season ended with a second disappointing ALCS loss to the Yankees.

Then Seattle’s management made a string of terrible hiring choices, which caused them to once again finish last in their division. The Mariners appointed new on-field and general management in 2009, and the organization started its rebuild after losing 100 games in a season with a payroll of $100 million or more in 2008.

The Mariners worked hard, and as a result, they finished last or second-to-last in their division five years in a row. But in 2014, Seattle, powered by veteran pitcher Felix Hernandez and newly signed free agent second baseman Robinson Cano, won 87 games and missed the playoffs by one game. The team’s postseason drought, however, reached its worst of 16 seasons in 2017.

After another unexpected playoff chase in 2018 with 89 wins, the team decided to fully rebuild and traded away Cano and most of its other veteran stars in the off-season, leading to a 68-94 record in 2019. Seattle finished second in its division after winning 90 games in 2012 but once again missed the playoffs. The ideal location buy cheap jerseys is here.

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