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Seattle Mariners:
The 2008 season has been a rebuilding season for the Seattle Mariners, who look to pull themselves back into contention. The Mariners currently have a 31-50 record, placing them in fourth in the American League West division. Pitcher Felix Hernandez aka "King Felix" is the defensive powerhouse around which the Mariners are attempting to once again gain a foothold in the league. In only his 3rd season in Major League Baseball, King Felix has posted a great 93 strikeouts in 108 innings pitched for the Seattle Mariners. At the plate, the Mariners are led by third-baseman Adrian Beltre and outfielder Raul Ibanez, who combine for an amazing 91 RBIs and 24 home runs, still very early in this season. The Mariners look to improve upon their team's record this season, although the team is still fun to watch until they pull themselves back into contention and ticket sales will increase accordingly.
Since exploding into Major League Baseball
in 1977 the Seattle Mariners have been a force to be reckoned
with. The team has showcased future Hall of Famers like Alex
Rodriguez, Randy Johnson and Ken Griffey Jr. The team has yet
to capture a World Series crown or a National League pennant
for that matter. They have won three AL West championships and
have made it into the postseason on four different occasions.
In 2001the Mariners matched the 95 year old record held by the
Chicago Cubs of winning 116 games in the regular season. Only
wins speaking, the 2001 Mariners are the best team to play baseball
in almost a century. The last time the Mariners made the playoff
was in that magical 2001 season. In the ALDS they matched up
with the Cleveland Indians and won the series in five games.
After that series the Mariners found the New York Yankees waiting
for them. The Yanks didn’t waste anytime taking control
of the series taking the first two games in Seattle. The Mariners
won game 3 in New York but that was the only victory they would
taste in the series as the fell 4-1 to a Yankee team that fell
in seven games to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series.
In 2003, the team finished with a 93-69 record and finished second
in the AL West but missed making the playoffs by two games.
The Mariners desperately needed a bat in the 2003
season and weren’t able
to trade for one during the season, so it was the number one priority in the
off-season. The team got some help when they signed free agents Raul Ibanez,
Rich Aurilia and Scott Spiezio. The team then traded short stop Carlos Guillen
to the Detroit Tigers for infielders Ramon Santiago and Juan Gonzalez. They also
brought in closer “Everyday” Eddie Guardado to sure up the bullpen.
The Mariners are lead by three bats in their line-up.
All-Stars Bret Boone, Edgar Martinez and Ichiro Suzuki are
very good at the plate. Suzuki is a former AL MVP winner and
has won the Gold Glove and been an All-Star since he broke
into MLB in 2001. Boone has also won multiple Gold Gloves and
has been named to every All-Star team since 2001.
The Mariners starting pitching is one of the more
seasoned staffs in the majors. They have an average age of
30 and their ace is none other than 41 year old Jamie Moyer.
Moyer is a pitcher that doesn’t have over powering stuff but he
just seems to out wit batters to 15-20 wins and a sub 4.00 ERA year in and year
out. In the bullpen the Mariners will turn to Eddie Guardado to close out the
late innings.
The Mariners play their home games at Safeco Field.
The 47,772 seat ballpark features a one of a kind retractable
roof that only covers the field and preserves the open air
environment. The stadium was opened for the 1999 season.
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