Former Dodger Star--Ex Mariner Manager Maury Wills Dies

 Maury Wills, who once held the Major League record for the most bases stolen in a season, has died.  He was 89.  Wills is best known as shortstop for the LA Dodgers in the 1960s.  

He also managed the Seattle Mariners in the team's early days. 

Wills was 89.

Mariners Win 82nd--Clinch Winning Record

 In the last few weeks of the season, the Mariners have clinched a winning season, after the team's 82nd victory of the 162 game season.  Seattle beat the A's 5-2 last night. It will be the first winning season for the team since 2018.

With 11 games left, the Mariners are three games back for  a wild card spot in the MLB playoffs. 

Pitcher James Paxton Returns To Mariners

 James Paxton, known as the Big Maple because of his Canadian roots, looks to be returning to the Seattle Mariners this season.  Paxton threw the last no-hitter by a Mariner pitcher on May 8th of 2018.

Paxton was traded to the New York Yankees, after the Mariners chose to go the rebuild route, when contention was not an option.  

If Paxton pitches successfully and the Mariners are not contenders at the trade deadline, Paxton could be have great trade value. 

Longtime Mariner Announcer Ron Fairley Dies

Ron Fairley, a Mariner commentator and announcer during some of the team's best years has died.  He was 81.  

Fairley, known as "Red" was in the team's booth from 1993 to 2006, although he did fill in work for the team after his departure. 

Fairley played in the Majors for 21 years, his best with the Los Angeles Dodgers, winning 3 World Series titles.  

A little known fact is he played as in the All Star Game for the Montreal Expos in 1973 and was an All Star from the Toronto Blue Jays in 1977.  He is the only player to have  represented both Canadian teams in the Summer Classic.

He started his broadcasting career with the San Francisco Giants in 1987, before joining the M's.
I loved Fairley because of his stories while on the air.  He would talk about his playing days in the 60s, a time when the baseball really mattered.  That was the time that I discovered baseball and had a huge baseball card collection.  When I watched my first World Series on TV.  I read every baseball book that I could get my hands on  and could never wait to watch the Saturday national telecast.
Not everyone was a fan of Fairley's and many thought of him as a cornball.  But maybe most of his critics weren't fans during that era.  Maybe baseball could use a little cornball.

Felix Hernandez To Make Last Start Tonight

Like all great stories, the legend that is Felix Hernandez is scheduled to come to an end tonight.
The right handed phenom who has pitched his entire career with the Mariners, a team that never made the post season during his tenure.
Hernandez, known to M's fans by his first name pitched the Mariners only perfect game.  He has also won the Cy Young Award for best pitcher in 2010.  
He had a section of the Mariner stadium full of fan's known as the King's Court.

In recent years, his production has fallen, last year, he was 8-14 on a team with a winning record.  It was obvious that his best years were behind him.  

Still, we remember the great years and we salute a player whose loyalty to the team,  may have cost him the chance to play in a World Series.  Congrats Felix!

Mike Trout At T-Mobile

Angel Center fielder Mike Trout, an 8 time MLB All Star and 2 time AL MVP, comes to bat against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park.  Trout would later get a home run in the game as the Mariners sadly lost to the Angels 9-3.

Edgar Martinez Joins The Hall

Edgar Martinez accepts the Hall Of Fame plaque just before making his wonderful speech where he credited Mariner fans for helping him get the support to enter the Hall.

20 Years Ago Today--A New Era Begins For Seattle Baseball

I attended what was then Safeco Field for the opening of Seattle's brand new outdoor baseball stadium. I had won the above ticket for the game in an office drawing and attended with co-workers.
 The future looked much better for the Mariners at the time then the Seahawks.  Well, the Mariners had one great season in 2001 at Safeco,  but since that season, they have not been able to put another play-off team together. Meanwhile the Seahawks have been to 3 Super Bowls, winning one.
Safeco Field is now named T-Mobile Park.

Has Mariner Mojo Hit Midnight?

The Seattle Mariners, who entered the weekend series off to it's best start in history, 13-2, were unable to get a win against division rival Houston in 3 games.  

The Mariners who went into this year after trading Robinson Cano, Alex Diaz, and Jim Paxton, have been a pleasant surprise, winning 13 of it's first 15 games.  The team however, is in the middle of a rebuilding year in the hope that it can be competitive in the future.  

Where the team goes from here remains to be seen. 

Ichiro Ends Brillian Career

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the few athletes in history to excel in two different countries has officially retired.  The Seattle Mariners began this season playing the Oakland A's in Tokyo, in Ichiro's home country. Ichiro was pulled out of the game in the 8th inning of the second and final game of the series.   He received a long standing ovation.  

Ichiro started with the Mariners in 2001, after three of the biggest stars in the team's history, Ken Griffey, Jr, Randy Johnson, and Alex Rodriguez had departed to other teams.  It was that year that the Mariner won an amazing 116 games.  Ichiro won MVP and Rookie Of The Year awards in the American League,  The team was unable to make it to the World Series, though and dark times returned for the team.  

Ichiro's popularity began to wane as stories appeared that he could hit home runs but chose to hit singles and other unflattering stories, either true or untrue, began making their rounds on talk radio. Of course, with the Mariners playing poorly, Ichiro was a visible target. 

Ichiro, who is still beloved in his native Japan, retires with a batting average of .311 and 3089 hits.  He is a surefire Hall Of Famer and like LeBron James, a sports hero known more for his first name than his last.

Northwest Baseball Great Mel Stottlemyre Dead

Mel Stottlemyre, a Central Washington product who would go on to be an ace pitcher for the New York Yankees and later a pitching coach for teams including the Mariners has died after a long battle with cancer.  Stottlemyre's son, Mel Jr was later also a pitching coach for the M's.  Both Mel, Jr and brother, Todd, pitched in the major leagues.

Larry Stone, a Seattle Times columnist, was working in Yakima for the local paper when Stottlemyre owned a sporting goods store in that town.  Having crossed paths both here and there, Stone wrote this column. Click here.

No Joy In Marinerville

Two of the Mariner's biggest stars are leaving the team, Robinson Cano, who has been up and down since  signing a huge contract to come over from the Yankees and Edwin Diaz, the team's lights out closer.  Both players are headed to the Mets. 

They may bump into another Mariner star, pitcher James Paxton, who was traded to the Yankees in this off season.

The  trades are part of an attempt to rebuild the team.  The team does not feel it can win with it's current crew, so it is trying to trade people of value or with big contract to get prospects who can blossom into stars.  

Mentink Gets First Pitch Honors

Seattle Mariner's broadcast host Angie Mentink opened the team's series with the Dodgers by throwing out the ceremonial first pitch to her son, Chase.      There was  a good video of this on twitter.
Mentink has recently overcome a bout with breast cancer.

At The Game

Three time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers is on the mound against our Mariners.  I think we are starting to get to him.  

Mariners Sweep First Place Astros

No one saw this coming, but the Seattle Mariners, not playing their best baseball the last few weeks, completed a four game sweep over the division leading Houston Astros this weekend with a 4-3 extra inning come from behind victory.  

Mariner closer Edwin Diaz had recorded a close in each of the 4 games.  He is baseball's leading closer.  

The series no doubt will reignite Mariner playoff talk around town

The Wayback Machine--Angie Mentink

This is Angie Mazetta, better known in this area as Angie Mentink of  host of Seattle Mariner broadcasts on Root Sports.  

At the time, she played woman's baseball for the Colorado Silver Bullets.  She was previously a softball stand out at the University Of Washington.  

Angie started with Fox Sports Network (now Root Sports) in 1998, making this her 21st year covering Mariner's baseball.  

Mariners Win Number 50

Nothing is guaranteed, but what the Seattle Mariner fans have is hope as the team won it's 50th game yesterday, beating Baltimore 8-7.  

 The team lost a 5-4 lead in the 8th inning when Chis Davis hit a 3 run homer in the 8th.  Kyle Seeger then tied the game in the 9th with a  2 run blast.   Denard Span (above right) hit a sacrifice fly in the 11th to bring home Jean Segura for the winning score.  

The win came at the midway point in the season.  

Hey, Look Up! See Whose In First!

After an 8 inning 5 hit effort by Felix Hernandez, the Seattle Mariners, owner of the longest playoff draught in professional sports, took sole possession of first place with a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.  It's still early in the season and a lot can happen.  But victories are victories and the team is finding new ways to win.

AL West standings

1. Mariners 37-22 (.627)

2. Astros 37-23 (.617) | 0.5 GB

3. Angels 31-28 (.525) | 6 GB

4. Athletics 31-29 (.517) | 6.5 GB

5. Rangers 25-36 (.410) | 13 GB

Bummer

Major League Baseball reports that Mariner 2nd Baseman Robinson Cano has been suspended 80 games after testing positive for a banned substance.

Go Mariners

Baseball season starts today and our Seattle Mariners hope to end a 17 year post season draught.  The M's will face Cleveland tonight at Safeco Field.