List of Seattle Mariners seasons

A panoramic view of a baseball stadium with a large crowd and open roof, looking over the diamond from above home plate.
The Seattle Mariners have played their home games at T-Mobile Park since it opened in 1999.

The Seattle Mariners are a Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Seattle, Washington, United States. The team has been a member of the American League's West division since they entered as an expansion franchise in 1977.[1] Their name was chosen in a public contest and reflects the city's nautical history and location on Puget Sound.[2] The team's first home stadium was the Kingdome, an indoor multi-purpose stadium shared with other sports, from 1977 until 1999. The Mariners moved to their current home, T-Mobile Park (formerly Safeco Field), when it opened on July 15, 1999; the stadium has a retractable roof and a seating caapcity of 47,943.[3]

The first MLB team in the Pacific Northwest, the Seattle Pilots, played for one season in 1969 as an American League expansion team at Sick's Stadium, a former minor league venue. After their sale to avoid bankruptcy, the Pilots moved to Milwaukee in 1970 and became the Brewers.[1] The governments of Seattle, King County, and Washington filed a lawsuit against the American League in 1975 for a breach of contract in breaking the lease at Sick's Stadium; the lawsuit was withdrawn in exchange for a team that would play at the new Kingdome. After failed attempts to relocate an existing team, an expansion franchise was granted in 1976.[4]

The Mariners played their first game at the Kingdome on April 6, 1977, and finished their first season with a 64–98 record.[1] The team had 14 consecutive losing seasons and never finished in the top half of the seven-team AL West division until the 1990s; their first winning season was achieved in 1991 under manager Jim Lefebvre, who was fired at the end of the season.[5][6] The Mariners clinched the division title in 1995 by defeating the California Angels in a tie-breaker game after the two teams finished with identical 78–66 records.[7] They earned a place in the postseason for the first time in franchise history amid the threat of relocation due to the Kingdome's deteriorating condition.[1][8] The team's playoff run, which included a comeback series victory against the New York Yankees, ended with a loss to the Cleveland Indians in the American League Championship Series (ACLS). In October 1995, the state and county governments approved financing to build a new stadium a month after voters had rejected a referendum on the issue.[7][9] Under manager Lou Piniella, the Mariners had three consecutive seasons with winning records and made another postseason appearance in 1997, but failed to advance beyond the American League Division Series (ALDS).[1][10]

The team earned their first wild card berth in the 2000 season and advanced to the ALCS, where they lost to the Yankees.[11][12] During the 2001 season, the Mariners won 116 games and tied the 1906 Chicago Cubs for the MLB record. The team advanced to the ALCS for the third time in franchise history and lost to the Yankees for the second consecutive year.[13][14] The Mariners failed to qualify for the postseason from 2001 to 2022;[15] the 21-year period was the longest active playoff drought in the North American major sports leagues at the time and among the longest in MLB history.[16][17] The team ended the drought with a wild card berth in 2022 and advanced to the ALDS, where they were eliminated by the Houston Astros, another AL West franchise.[18] The Mariners failed to return to the playoffs in the 2023 season despite finishing with a winning record for the third consecutive year.[19]

As of the end of their 47th season in 2023, the Mariners have an all-time regular season record of 3,514 wins and 3,873 losses.[20] They have had a winning record in 17 seasons, a losing record in 30 seasons, and five postseason berths.[20] After the Washington Nationals won the National League title in 2019, the Mariners are the only active MLB franchise never to have appeared in the World Series.[21]

Regular season results

Key to colors
World Series champions
* American League champions
^ Division champions
¤ Wild Card berth (1995–present)
Key to abbreviations
Key to awards

Seattle Mariners regular season record by season
MLB
season
Team
season
League Division Regular season[20] Postseason results[20][22] Awards[23] Manager[20]
(list)
Finish W L Pct GB
1977 1977 AL West 6th 64 98 .395 38 Darrell Johnson
1978 1978 AL West 7th 56 104 .350 35
1979 1979 AL West 6th 67 95 .414 21
1980  †1980[a] AL West 7th 59 103 .364 38 Darrell Johnson (39–65)
Maury Wills (20–38)
 †1981[b]  †1981[a] AL West 6th 44 65 .404 20 Maury Wills (6–18)
Rene Lachemann (38–47)
1982 1982 AL West 4th 76 86 .469 17 Rene Lachemann
1983 1983 AL West 7th 60 102 .370 39 Rene Lachemann (26–47)
Del Crandall (34–55)
1984 1984 AL West 5th 74 88 .457 10 Alvin Davis (ROY) Del Crandall (59–76)
Chuck Cottier (15–12)
1985 1985 AL West 6th 74 88 .457 17 Chuck Cottier
1986 1986 AL West 7th 67 95 .414 25 Chuck Cottier (9–19)
Marty Martínez (59–76)
Dick Williams (58–75)
1987 1987 AL West 4th 78 84 .481 7 Dick Williams
1988 1988 AL West 7th 68 93 .422 35 Dick Williams (23–33)
Jim Snyder (45–60)
1989 1989 AL West 6th 73 89 .451 26 Jim Lefebvre
1990 1990 AL West 5th 77 85 .475 26
1991 1991 AL West 5th 83 79 .512 12
1992 1992 AL West 7th 64 98 .395 32 Bill Plummer
1993 1993 AL West 4th 82 80 .506 12 Lou Piniella
 †1994[c]  †1994[d] AL West 3rd 49 63 .438 2 Playoffs cancelled by
players' strike[c]
1995 1995 AL West ^ 1st ^ 79 66 .545 Won ALDS (Yankees) 3–2
Lost ALCS (Indians) 4–2
Randy Johnson (CYA)
Lou Piniella (MOY)
1996 1996 AL West 2nd 85 76 .528
1997 1997 AL West ^ 1st ^ 90 72 .556 Lost ALDS (Orioles) 3–1 Ken Griffey Jr. (MVP)
1998 1998 AL West 3rd 76 85 .472 11½
1999 1999 AL West 3rd 79 83 .488 16
2000 2000 AL West 2nd ¤ 91 71 .562 ½ Won ALDS (White Sox) 3–0
Lost ALCS (Yankees) 4–2
Kazuhiro Sasaki (ROY)
2001 2001 AL West ^ 1st ^ 116[e] 46 .716 Won ALDS (Indians) 3–2
Lost ALCS (Yankees) 4–1
Ichiro Suzuki (MVP, ROY)
Lou Piniella (MOY)
2002 2002 AL West 3rd 93 69 .574 10
2003 2003 AL West 2nd 93 69 .574 3 Bob Melvin
2004 2004 AL West 4th 63 99 .389 29
2005 2005 AL West 4th 69 93 .426 26 Mike Hargrove
2006 2006 AL West 4th 78 84 .481 15
2007 2007 AL West 2nd 88 74 .543 6 Mike Hargrove (45–33)
John McLaren (43–41)
2008 2008 AL West 4th 61 101 .377 39 John McLaren (25–47)
Jim Riggleman (36–54)
2009 2009 AL West 3rd 85 77 .525 12 Don Wakamatsu
2010 2010 AL West 4th 61 101 .377 29 Félix Hernández (CYA) Don Wakamatsu (42–70)
Daren Brown (19–31)
2011 2011 AL West 4th 67 95 .414 29 Eric Wedge
2012 2012 AL West 4th 75 87 .463 19
2013 2013 AL West 4th 71 91 .438 25
2014 2014 AL West 3rd 87 75 .537 11 Chris Young (CB POY) Lloyd McClendon
2015 2015 AL West 4th 76 86 .469 12
2016 2016 AL West 2nd 86 76 .531 9 Scott Servais
2017 2017 AL West 3rd 78 84 .481 23
2018 2018 AL West 3rd 89 73 .549 14
2019 2019 AL West 5th 68 94 .420 39
 †2020[f] 2020 AL West 3rd 27 33 .450 9 Kyle Lewis (ROY)
2021 2021 AL West 2nd 90 72 .556 5
2022 2022 AL West 2nd ¤ 90 72 .556 16 Won ALWC (Blue Jays) 2–0
Lost ALDS (Astros) 3–0
Julio Rodríguez (ROY)
2023 2023 AL West 3rd 88 74 .543 2
Totals (47 seasons)[20] 3,514 3,873 .476 All-time regular season record (1977–2023)
17 22 .436 All-time postseason record (1977–2023)
3,531 3,895 .475 All-time regular and postseason record (1977–2023)

Record by decade

Aerial view of a domed stadium with a large roof topped by an American flag.
The Kingdome, an indoor multi-purpose stadium, was the home of the Seattle Mariners from 1977 to 1999.
As of the 2023 season

The following table summarizes the Mariners' win–loss record in the MLB regular season by decade.[20]

Regular season record by decade
Decade Wins Losses Pct
1970s 187 297 .386
1980s 673 893 .430
1990s 764 787 .493
2000s 837 783 .517
2010s 758 862 .468
2020s 295 251 .540
All-time 3,514 3,873 .476

Postseason record by year

The Mariners have made the postseason five times in their history. Their first postseason appearance was in 1995 and the most recent was in 2022.[20][22]

Postseason record and results
Year Finish Round Opponent Result W L
1995 AL West champions ALDS New York Yankees Won 3 2
ALCS Cleveland Indians Lost 2 4
1997 AL West champions ALDS Baltimore Orioles Lost 1 3
2000 AL Wild Card ALDS Chicago White Sox Won 3 0
ALCS New York Yankees Lost 2 4
2001 AL West champions ALDS Cleveland Indians Won 3 2
ALCS New York Yankees Lost 1 4
2022 AL Wild Card ALWC Toronto Blue Jays Won 2 0
ALDS Houston Astros Lost 0 3
Totals 4–5 17 22

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b In both the 1980 and 1981 seasons, the Mariners played one game which ended in a tie not reflected in the regular season table.[20] On June 2, 1980, the Mariners were tied 3–3 with the Detroit Tigers after 13 innings before the game in Detroit was suspended due to rain;[24] the game was replayed on August 1 as part of a doubleheader.[25] On April 29, 1981, the Mariners played 8 innings with the Minnesota Twins at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome that was called off due to rain and hail with the score tied at 7;[26] it was replayed on August 14 as the first game in a doubleheader.[27] In 2007, the Major League Baseball Rules Committee approved a rule change that no longer required tied games to be replayed in their entirety; suspended games that are tied in the bottom of the fifth inning or later are to be resumed at the same stadium at the next meeting between the same teams.[28]
  2. ^ A players' strike was called on June 12, 1981, and ended 59 days later on August 9. The 1981 season was reorganized into a split season with two champions for each division—the team with the best record in pre-strike games and the team with the best record in post-strike games (or the runner-up if the same team won both halves).[29]
  3. ^ a b The 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike, which started on August 12, led to the cancellation of the playoffs and World Series.[32] As a result of the shortened season, MLB did not officially award division championships.[33] Although they spent the entire season with a losing record, the Mariners were two games behind AL West leaders Texas Rangers by August 12.[34]
  4. ^ The Kingdome was closed for emergency repairs following the collapse of ceiling tiles on July 19, 1994. As a result, the Mariners played the remainder of their schedule on the road; of the 30 scheduled road games, only 20 were played due to the players' strike called on August 12 that cancelled the rest of the season.[30][31]
  5. ^ The team's 116 wins tied a MLB record that was originally set by the 1906 Chicago Cubs.[13] However, the Mariners played ten more games than the 1906 Cubs.[35]
  6. ^ The start of the 2020 season was postponed by MLB due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The shortened 60-game regular season began on July 24, 2020, with games played behind closed doors against teams in the American League West and National League West to reduce travel.[36][37]

References

  1. ^ Johns, Greg (December 1, 2021). "How and why Mariners got their team name". MLB.com. Archived from the original on November 23, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  2. ^ "Mariners Ballparks". Seattle Mariners. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  3. ^ Zimmerman, Hy (January 27, 1980). "Baseball left town in 1970, but came back to occupy Dome". The Seattle Times. pp. L8–L9.
  4. ^ Eskenazi, Stuart (April 1, 2002). "They turned out long before the M's were 'in'". The Seattle Times. p. A1. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  5. ^ Sherwin, Bob (October 10, 1991). "Lefebvre officially out—Mariners fire manager today; Paul is also out". The Seattle Times. p. F1. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Stone, Larry (August 24, 2015). "Top moments from an unforgettable 1995 Mariners season". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  7. ^ LaRue, Larry (October 3, 1995). "Mariners capture AL West title—No joke: A 19-year wait is over". The News Tribune. p. A1. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Verducci, Tom (February 5, 1996). "Marinermaina: How a tottering team's bid for a wild-card berth turned into a late-season frenzy". Sports Illustrated. pp. 78–91. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  9. ^ "Franchise Timeline: 1990s". Seattle Mariners. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  10. ^ Boling, Dave (October 2, 2000). "Mariners are playoffs-bound". The News Tribune. p. A1. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Hohler, Bob (October 18, 2000). "Visitors didn't believe everything they read". The Boston Globe. p. F4. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ a b Chass, Murray (October 23, 2001). "On Baseball: Playoff Fade Turns Mariners Into a Footnote". The New York Times. p. S2. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
  13. ^ Harvey, Coley (October 8, 2022). "Mariners into ALDS after improbable comeback completes sweep of Blue Jays". ESPN. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  14. ^ Yomtov, Jesse (October 1, 2022). "Mariners end MLB's longest playoff drought: A look at what's happened to franchise since 2001". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  15. ^ Mather, Victor (October 1, 2015). "Blue Jays' Title Leaves Buffalo Bills With Longest Playoff Drought". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  16. ^ Harrigan, Thomas (October 2, 2022). "How did these teams do after ending long playoff droughts?". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 27, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  17. ^ Janes, Chelsea; Golden, Andrew (October 18, 2022). "What to know about the 2022 MLB postseason". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  18. ^ Divish, Ryan (October 1, 2023). "Mariners wrap up season with 1-0 win against Rangers". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Seattle Mariners Team History & Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2011. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  20. ^ Divish, Ryan (October 15, 2019). "Mariners now stand alone — as only MLB team never to reach World Series". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  21. ^ a b "World Series and MLB Playoffs". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2010. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  22. ^ "Awards". Seattle Mariners. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  23. ^ Thiel, Art (June 3, 1980). "Rain Stops M's, Tigers In 13th". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. C1.
  24. ^ Zimmerman, Hy (August 1, 1980). "Mariners, losers of five straight, face 'double jeopardy' in Detroit". The Seattle Times. p. D4.
  25. ^ Ringolsby, Tracy (April 30, 1981). "Storm leaves Twins, M's deadlocked, 7-all". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. B2.
  26. ^ Ringolsby, Tracy (August 15, 1981). "Jeff's jolts net M's split". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. B1.
  27. ^ "Non-Pitchers Could Be Suspended 10 Games for Scuffing Ball". The Washington Post. Associated Press. February 17, 2007. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  28. ^ Verducci, Tom (May 29, 2020). "Inside the Chaos of 1981—MLB's Last Severely Shortened Season". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  29. ^ Condotta, Bob (July 19, 2004). "Ten years after the Kingdome tiles fell". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on December 6, 2004. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  30. ^ Sherwin, Bob (July 30, 1994). "Chicago 5, Seattle 4: California still thorn in Mariners' roadside". The Seattle Times. p. B3.
  31. ^ Newhan, Ross (September 15, 1994). "Baseball Season, Series Canceled". Los Angeles Times. p. A1. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  32. ^ Newhan, Ross (October 6, 1994). "A Season Without Titles Baseball: Players will be honored, but there will be no divisional champions because of the shortened schedule". Los Angeles Times. p. C3. Archived from the original on October 7, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  33. ^ Finnigan, Bob (August 12, 1994). "'It's a hell of a way to get home' – Strike scatters nomadic M's when team's finally on roll". The Seattle Times. p. A1.
  34. ^ Rumore, Kori (October 2, 2020). "The all-Chicago World Series: How the 'Hitless Wonders' pulled off the upset as the Spuds (Cubs) and the White Stockings (White Sox) reached the Fall Classic in 1906". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  35. ^ Divish, Ryan (July 6, 2020). "Mariners to open coronavirus-delayed season with seven-game road trip, starting in Houston". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
  36. ^ "Franchise Timeline: 2020s". Seattle Mariners. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2023.

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