Seattle Mariners: 1977-?

[ThatSeventiesGuy]

After my successful run as GM of the Washington Senators/Texas Rangers franchise from 1961-1976, I decided to look for a new challenge with the expansion team in Seattle.

I acquired a few actual 1977 Mariners, like Dan Meyer, Glenn Abbott, Enrique Romo, Diego Segui and Rupert Jones in the expansion draft. I picked up a few wily old veterans in Gaylord Perry and Roberto Clemente (still alive, well, and DH-ing in 1977...if only real life had gone that way!). I traded with the Pirates for Richie Zisk to get some HR power in the lineup. I also coaxed Hank Aaron out of retirement, which turned out to be a mistake.

Meyer was a bust, losing his job to OOTP-created 37-year old career minor leaguer (except for one game with the Rangers in '76) Gideon Williams and getting sent to the minors by May. Jones became my 4th outfielder when I picked up Ranger mainstay Fred Lynn in June. Abbott was sort of a long-relief spot start. Segui was not too hot as a middle reliever, with a 5+ ERA.

I started out with a rotation of Perry, Abbott, and created players George Diaz, Armando Fernandez, and Gene Farr. Fernandez was the only one still in the rotation at season's end, although Farr and Abbott were still playing important roles in long relief.

1977 Opening Day Box Score:



After falling to 10 games under .500 in May, I made some drastic changes, trading Perry, Mickey Lolich, Willie Horton, Diaz, and a bunch of minor leaguers to my old team, Texas, for Lynn, Tom Seaver, and Steve Carlton, and Rollie Fingers. I also made a trade with Oakland for Sal Bando. This got me up to a couple games over .500 at the All-Star break. A later trade for Johnny Bench helped even more.

Just before the trade deadline, I picked up George Foster and Bert Blyleven. Bert went 5-1 to help in the stretch run. After Aaron proved that he should have stayed retired (.167 BA, 2 HR, 13 RBI in 150 AB), another 37-year old rookie, Malcolm Crase, replaced him in RF, batting .346 in 205 AB with 6 homers & 34 RBI.

A couple of OOTP-created players helped immensely in the Mariners' maiden voyage. 2B David Griffin led the league in HRs with 40 in his first season, just edging out Detroit's Steve Kemp for ROY. Rookie SS Vernon McGillis led the team in steals by a wide margin, with 39. He also hit 20 HRs, which gave me 60 homers from my no-name DP combo. Not too shabby!

With a mad dash to the finish, the Mariners ended their inaugural season with a 88-74 record, beating the Royals by one game and the Rangers by two games for the AL West crown!

The wild ride ended, though, in the ALCS, as the Tigers swept the upstart M's, 3 games to none, before going on to win the World Series in six games over Philadelphia, who swept the Astros in the NLCS.


American League Award Winners:

Most Valuable Player Award Reggie Smith DET .276/.349/.513, 35 HR, 132 RBI, 42.7 VORP
Cy Young Award Ron Guidry NYA 25-7, 2.64 ERA, 317.0 IP, 277 K, 74.2 VORP
Rookie of the Year Award David Griffin SEA .260/.358/.490, 40 HR, 96 RBI, 57.8 VORP
Gold Glove Award
Pitcher Dave Goltz MIN .990 PCT., 36 PO, 59 A
Catcher Johnny Bench TEX-SEA .998 PCT., 1029 PO, 102 A, 47.7 CS
First Base Jason Thompson DET .996 PCT., 1632 PO, 113 A
Second Base Willie Randolph NYA .985 PCT., 319 PO, 542 A
Third Base Sal Bando OAK-SEA .959 PCT., 101 PO, 340 A
Shortstop Chris Speier CAL .986 PCT., 196 PO, 378 A
Left Field Juan Beniquez BAL .988 PCT., 242 PO, 4 A
Center Field Chet Lemon CHA .993 PCT., 415 PO, 14 A
Right Field Reggie Smith DET 1.000 PCT., 240 PO, 16 A

National League Award Winners:

Most Valuable Player Award Mike Schmidt PHI .292/.425/.566, 43 HR, 138 RBI, 78.2 VORP
Cy Young Award Steve Rogers MON 24-14, 2.41 ERA, 324.1 IP, 196 K, 89.4 VORP
Rookie of the Year Award John Stearns SLN .275/.369/.434, 18 HR, 81 RBI, 35.4 VORP
Gold Glove Award
Pitcher Steve Rogers MON .960 PCT., 9 PO, 68 A
Catcher Ted Simmons PIT .994 PCT., 803 PO, 92 A, 37.7 CS %
First Base Dan Driessen SFN .995 PCT., 1678 PO, 109 A
Second Base Joe Morgan CIN .983 PCT., 356 PO, 526 A
Third Base Mike Schmidt PHI .978 PCT., 119 PO, 419 A
Shortstop Dave Concepcion CIN .974 PCT., 245 PO, 491 A
Left Field Johnny Briggs ATL .982 PCT., 268 PO, 8 A
Center Field Mickey Rivers LAN .992 PCT., 367 PO, 15 A
Right Field Ken Griffey CIN .991 PCT., 301 PO, 17 A

1977 Final Standings:



1977 Mariners Stats:

[ThatSeventiesGuy]

In 1978, the Mariners stood relatively pat, with a few major exceptions: Don Sutton was acquired as a free agent before the season, then traded at midseason to Detroit for John Montefusco. After Steve Carlton signed with the Phillies in the offseason, Tommy John was picked up in free agency to replace him.

The offense led the club as seven players hit 20 or more homers, and another hit 19. Four players had over 100 RBI, while four more had 75 or more ribbies. And two members of the lineup hit over .300. George Foster led the team in all three categories with .310-28-121. Griffin's BA fell a bit, but he still hit 38 HR to tie Foster for the team lead, and he improved his RBI total to 101. Rookie SS Jim "Melody" Denton hit .306 with 27 HR and 75 RBI, virtually Wally Pipp-ing poor McGillis, who still hit over .300 but sat because there was no place else to put the red-hot Denton.

Ryan was superb, with a 21-6 record, 3.08 ERA, & 275 Ks. Blyleven contributed 19 wins, Seaver 18, and John 15. Fingers had 22 saves, but his ERA was awful at 5.11.

Here are a few regular season highlights:

4-30: The Giants' Bob Knepper pitches a no-hitter against the Expos



7-30-78: A big game for the Mariners as they crush Oakland, 13-5. Gideon Williams hits 3 homers and gets 6 RBI, while Griffin goes 5 for 6 with 2 RBI.



8-28-78: Zisk goes 3 for 4 against Cleveland with 2 homers and 7 RBI.



The Mariners won 100 games, easily winning the AL West by 12 games over the Rangers. In the ALCS, revenge was exacted for last year's sweep, as Seattle beat the Tigers in five games. Detroit beat the Orioles by 3 games to win the AL East, despite Eddie Murray's outstanding rookie campaign in which he was both ROY and MVP.



After the Dodgers swept the Cardinals in the NLCS, the Mariners made short work of them in the World Series, winning in five games for their first Championship!



American League Award Winners:

Most Valuable Player Award Eddie Murray BAL .381/.455/.634, 33 HR, 117 RBI, 105.9 VORP
Cy Young Award Ron Guidry NYA 29-11, 2.33 ERA, 359.2 IP, 314 K, 105.7 VORP
Rookie of the Year Award Eddie Murray BAL .381/.455/.634, 33 HR, 117 RBI, 105.9 VORP
Gold Glove Award
Pitcher Steve Comer TEX .988 PCT., 20 PO, 64 A
Catcher Johnny Bench SEA .990 PCT., 1066 PO, 92 A, 33.9 CS %
First Base Cecil Cooper BOS .992 PCT., 1446 PO, 117 A
Second Base David Griffin SEA .981 PCT., 280 PO, 485 A
Third Base Sal Bando SEA .971 PCT., 98 PO, 272 A
Shortstop Alan Trammell DET .976 PCT., 317 PO, 423 A
Left Field Fred Lynn SEA .995 PCT., 373 PO, 8 A
Center Field Rick Miller OAK .993 PCT., 529 PO, 11 A
Right Field Tony Armas OAK .982 PCT., 367 PO, 14 A

National League Award Winners:

Most Valuable Player Award Bruce Bochte CHN .352/.432/.572, 31 HR, 111 RBI, 80.2 VORP
Cy Young Award Phil Niekro ATL 23-15, 2.94 ERA, 343.1 IP, 239 K, 85.7 VORP
Rookie of the Year Award Mike Bruhert NYN 22-16, 3.73 ERA, 302.0 IP, 112 K, 39.0 VORP
Gold Glove Award
Pitcher Phil Niekro ATL .971 PCT., 28 PO, 72 A
Catcher Gary Carter MON .987 PCT., 700 PO, 104 A, 43.5 CS %
First Base Keith Hernandez SLN .992 PCT., 1608 PO, 132 A
Second Base Doug DeCinces SLN .985 PCT., 340 PO, 440 A
Third Base Doug Rader SDN .986 PCT., 117 PO, 372 A
Left Field Don Young MON .978 PCT., 348 PO, 11 A
Center Field Lyman Bostock CHN .996 PCT., 493 PO, 10 A
Right Field Cesar Cedeno HOU .992 PCT., 366 PO, 7 A


1978 AL Standings:



1978 NL Standings:



1978 Stats:

[ThatSeventiesGuy]

Still basking in the glow of their first championship, the Mariners made only a few changes in 1979. Jose Cruz was signed as a free agent for fourth outfielder/utility duties, and McGillis was traded during the season for Gene Tenace to give Bench a much-needed rest once in a while (Bando used to move behind the plate on rare occasions to spell Johnny, but left as a FA before the season). Joe Dupuis moved in from the outfield and replaced the departed Bando at 3B. Toby Harrah came over at midseason to take up the role of infield utilityman.

Griffin and Denton were again excellent, representing OOTP-created players everywhere proudly. Foster led the team in RBI, as he and Griffin each hit over 100. Zisk barely missed the century mark with 99. An amazing eight players cracked the 20 homer mark for Seattle's M-urderer's Row. Clemente, sadly, reached the "needs to retire" stage of his career. I traded him back to Pittsburgh at the All-Star break so he could finish his Hall of Fame-worthy career as a Pirate.

Seaver led the team with 19 wins. Ryan and Montefusco had 17 each, Blyleven 15, and John 13. Fingers had 27 saves and rebounded in the ERA department with a 3.17 mark.

Season highlights:

4-20-79: Nolan Ryan reaches a (season) high on 4-20 as he one-hits the Twins and racks up 14 strikeouts.



4-27-79: A week after Ryan's one-hitter, Oakland's Matt Keough pitches a perfect game against the same team, Minnesota. I've seen several no-hitters in my 19-season OOTP career, but this is the first perfecto.



7-20-79: Houston's J.R. Richard no-hits the Expos. You'll be hearing more from him later. Notice his win total...with well over two months left in the season!



After going 98-64 to win the AL West by 13 games over the Twins, the Mariners faced the Tigers in the ALCS for the third year in a row, winning the "rubber match" of the ongoing rivalry, 3 games to 1. The Astros, led by two wins from Richard, beat Willie Stargell and the "We Are Family" Pirates 3 games to 2 in the NLCS.

In the World Series, the Mariners took a 3 games to 1 lead, only to blow it as the Astros' Floyd Bannister shuts out Seattle in Game 7 to give the Astros their first Championship and deny the Mariners a repeat.

Now, how good was Richard in 1979? Look at those numbers and be amazed! 32-5 record, 1.77 ERA, 325 Ks in 345.2 IP!! If Gozer asks him if he's a god, J.R. just has to show his 1979 OOTP stats. Pittsburgh's John Candelaria won 30 games and was a distant second in Cy Young voting.

National League Award Winners:

Most Valuable Player Award: Dave Parker PIT .345 BA, 28 HR, 112 RBI
Cy Young Award: J.R. Richard HOU 32-5 W-L, 1.77 ERA, 325 K.
Rookie of the Year Award: Pedro Guerrero LAN .324 BA, 25 HR, 100 RBI
Gold Glove Awards:

P Bruce Kison, PIT
C Gary Carter, MON
1B Steve Garvey, LAN
2B Bob Randall, NYM
3B Eric Soderholm, HOU
SS Ozzie Smith, SDN
LF Amos Otis, CIN
CF Omar Moreno, CIN
RF Cesar Cedeno, HOU

American League Award Winners:

Most Valuable Player Award: Steve Kemp DET .335 BA, 45 HR, 133 RBI
Cy Young Award: Dennis Leonard KCA 27-10 W-L, 3.19 ERA, 217 K
Rookie of the Year Award: Kirk Gibson DET .295 BA, 28 HR, 94 RBI
Gold Glove Awards:

P Doyle Alexander, CLE
C Johnny Bench, SEA
1B Bill Robinson, MIN
2B David Griffin, SEA
3B John Castino, MIN
SS Jim Denton, SEA
LF Steve Kemp, DET
CF Chet Lemon, CHA
RF Tony Armas, OAK

1979 AL Standings:



1979 NL Standings:



1979 Stats:

[ThatSeventiesGuy]

The 80's roll around, and the M's are still rolling. Griffin, Denton, Lynn, Zisk, and Dupuis all have fine seasons, and Foster, while slipping a bit, still racks up 25 homers & 83 RBI. After Gideon Williams finally starts to show his age, Toby Harrah fills in admirably at 1B until Tony Horton is picked up from the Angels (a rare case of me accepting a trade proposed by another team) and bats over .300, moving Harrah and Dupuis back to their natural positions of 3B and CF from 1B and 3B, respectively. Age also caught up with Crase a little, although not as drastically as Williams, and he lost his job in the second half.

The Ryan Express was chuggin' on, with 22 wins, 229 Ks, and the Cy Young. Blyleven won 17, but Seaver, while going 15-13, had a horrible 5.07 ERA. Fernandez, back in the rotation after two seasons in the bullpen, did his usual fine job, going 18-9 with a 2.75 ERA. Montefusco was traded to the Giants after a poor start, but his replacement, Gene Farr, also back in the starting five after two years in the 'pen, went 12-12 with a 3.44 earnie. Fingers saved 28 games.

The Mariners won 93 thanks to their usual hot September. At one point in early August, they were a game under .500 (still 1st in the West somehow), but went 25 games over .500 the rest of the way to finish 8 games ahead in the West.

The playoffs saw the Mariners face the Tigers for the fourth year in a row. Unfortunately, they lost the ALCS in 5 games, losing the final game in a 14-inning heartbreaker. The Dodgers swept the Phillies in the NLCS, but lost the Series to the Tigers in a seven game thriller.

1980 AL Standings:



1980 NL Standings:



1980 Stats:



1980 Award Winners:

American League:

MVP: Steve Kemp, DET: .296-42-144 (Led AL in HR & RBI)
Cy Young: Nolan Ryan, SEA: 22-8, 2.92, 229 (Led AL in wins, second in Ks)
ROY: Harold Baines, CHA: .341-26-91 (Led AL in BA)

Gold Gloves:

P Dave Stieb, TOR
C Butch Wynegar, MIN
1B Cecil Cooper, MIL
2B Dave Stapleton, BOS
3B John Castino, MIN
SS Robin Yount, MIL
LF Steve Henderson, NYA
CF Dan Ford, CLE
RF Dwight Evans, BOS

National League Award Winners:

MVP: Bob Horner, ATL: .299-42-136 (Led league in RBI, second in HR)
Cy Young: J.R. Richard, HOU: 21-7, 1.78, 291 (Won NL Pitching Triple Crown for second year in a row)
ROY: Dan Graham, LAN: .282-37-108 (Just beat out Montreal's Tim Raines, who set a new MLB record with 140 stolen bases!)

Gold Gloves:

P Bill Gullickson, MON
C Gary Carter, MON
1B Bruce Bochte, MON
2B Tim Flannery, SDN
3B Bill Madlock, CHN
SS Ozzie Smith, SDN
LF Ellis Valentine, SFN
CF Andre Dawson, MON
RF Joel Youngblood, NYN

[ThatSeventiesGuy]

1980 was a pretty eventful season. Here's a few of the most memorable games.

April saw three no-hitters.

4-12-80:

Rickey Clark of Texas no-hits the Yankees.



4-22-80: Ten days after Clark's no-no, the Rangers are no-hit themselves, by Detroit's Dan Spillner.



4-30-80: Fresh off last season's perfect game, Oakland's Matt Keough tosses a no-hitter against the Angels.



5-2-80: Monster games are always more fun when they happen with your own guys. Seattle's Richie Zisk has a rare 6-for-6 game and Nolan Ryan pitches a 3-hit shutout in a 15-0 drubbing of the Angels.



5-4-80: A crazy game in Montreal, won 15-5 by the Giants, sees two Giants (Ellis Valentine, Elliot Maddox) and an Expo (Claudell Washington) go 5-for-5.



5-18-80: Reggie Jackson, a longtime Cardinal in this universe, hits three home runs against the Giants.



6-11-80: Montreal's Andre Dawson hits for the cycle against San Diego.



6-28-80: Because I trade for veteran stars so often, my minor league teams often tend to...well, suck. The Double-A Lynn Sailors fail to eat their spinach and get no hit by Carl Holland of the Columbus Astros.



7-6-80: And a little over a week later, Lynn is no-hit AGAIN, this time by Orlando's Albert Williams. I'm starting to think maybe Brutus stole their spinach.



7-14-80: Atlanta's Dale Murphy (my best friend's favorite player when we were kids) hits three solo homers against the Astros' Floyd Bannister.



8-1-80: I mentioned there'd be lowlights too, right? Let us never speak of this horror again.



8-30-80: Bangin' (the baseball) With Mr. Cooper! Cecil goes 6-for-6 in Milwaukee's 13-12 slugfest win over Detroit.



9-8-80: Did I mention that my minor-league teams suck? Stockton gets no-hit by Bryan Hayes of the Eugene Emeralds.

[ThatSeventiesGuy]

In 1981, some of my veterans, such as George Foster and Joe Dupuis, along with both my catchers, didn't do so well. Rookies picked up the slack, though, at bat and especially on the mound.

Raul Trevino made it possible to move slugger David Griffin from 2B to 1B (my first basemen were horrible before that point), while Joel Daniel took over the starting LF job from Foster in the final month.

Two rookie pitchers, though, were the story of the year. Bill Hudson won the ROY, going 18-6 with a 2.91 ERA in 210.1 innings and finishing second in the league in Ks with 234, only six behind the leader, teammate Nolan Ryan, who won the Cy Young. New closer Steve Jensen, taking over for the traded Rollie Fingers, saved 43 games and posted a stellar 1.71 ERA. Blyleven won 20 games.

The Mariners won a team record 105 games to easily take the AL West crown by 18 games over the Royals. Guess who they faced in the ALCS? Yep, the Detroit Tigers! It took the whole five games, but the M's got past their eternal nemesis to face the Dodgers, who also took five games to beat the Expos in the NLCS, in the World Series.

Seattle made short work of L.A., though, winning in only five games for their second Championship, although Game 5 was something of an Epic Pitching Duel. Pop those champagne corks, boys!



1981 AL Standings:



1981 AL Award Winners & Batting Leaders:



1981 AL Pitching Leaders:



1981 NL Standings:



1981 NL Award Winners & Batting Leaders:



1981 NL Pitching Leaders:



1981 Seattle Mariners Team Stats:

[ThatSeventiesGuy]

1981 didn't see nearly as many notable performances as 1980, but there were still a few standouts.

5-20-81: The Mariners not only whupped the Indians 20-1, they ended Miguel Dilone's 33-game hitting streak, which was the longest I've seen in my OOTP career.



7-21-81: Dan Petry of the Tigers pitches a perfect game against the Angels.



9-14-81: Kansas City's George Brett hits for the cycle against California:

[ThatSeventiesGuy]

Finally, I'm back! I'm gotten way behind on these, so hopefully I can start to catch up.

1982...I think it's gonna be a pretty good year, if you can predict anything based on spring training standings.



...and it was, as the Mariners finished 121-41, a new record for wins! They finished 29 games ahead of second-place California for the AL West crown. David Griffin continued his home run heroics with a career-high 48, and four players finished with 100+ RBI. Eric Baker nearly took ROY honors with a .283-36-124 line, but was edged out for the award by rookie teammate Luc Trudel and his .338-37-121 numbers, which also won him the MVP trophy! Hudson didn't suffer from a sophomore slump, winning 21 games in his second season, while Bert Blyleven won 24. Ryan and Fernandez each just missed the 20-win club with 19 apiece. Jensen picked up 39 saves with a stellar 1.48 ERA.

The playoffs saw the M's FINALLY face somebody besides the Tigers, as the Yankees edged them out for the AL East title by four games. Seattle made short work of them, sweeping the series. The NLCS was a rematch of last year's, with the Dodgers once again beating the Expos, this time in only four games.

The World Series saw the Mariners repeat as World Champions, beating LA four games to two. Back-to-back Champs! Can this juggernaut be stopped?



Final 1982 AL Standings:



AL Award Winners:



AL Batting Leaders:



AL Pitching Leaders:



Final 1982 NL Standings:



NL Award Winners:



NL Batting Leaders:



NL Pitching Leaders:



1982 Seattle Mariners team stats:

[ThatSeventiesGuy]

Highlights from the 1982 season:

4-10: Pedro Guerrero of the Dodgers blasts three homers against the Padres.



4-11: A day after Guerrero's feat, Cleveland's Len Barker no-hits his former team, the Rangers, who have fallen on hard times since I left them as GM.



6-11: Toronto's Jim Gott no-hits Oakland.



7-11 is a lucky day for Nolan Ryan, as he racks up 15 Ks while pitching a no-hitter against the Indians.



7-25: Three Minnesota Twins get five hits each, and another Twin and two Red Sox get four hits each in Minnesota's 12-11, 15-inning win over Boston.



8-1: In a 9-8 eleven-inning thriller, Jim Rice helps Boston win the Battle of the Sox with 3 home runs.



9-3: Toronto's Dave Stieb no-hits the Indians.



9-15: In a 20-1 drubbing of the Royals, Joel Daniel goes 6-for-7 for Your Seattle Mariners, and hits for the cycle!

[ThatSeventiesGuy]

1983 saw the M's decline a bit from their record-setting win total of the season before, winning "only" 115 games to win the AL West by 14 games over the White Sox, who could only wish there was a Wild Card back in those days after winning 101 games but finishing well out of the playoff picture.

Trudel fell off a little after his phenomenal rookie year, but still had a fine sophomore season, with .288-31-103 numbers. Daniel went .317-22-123, and Baker just missed 100 RBI at 99 with 32 HR, although his BA was only .239. Griffin slumped to a miserable .228 average with paltry (for him) power numbers of 28 HR and 84 RBI. The start of a decline for one of baseball's most popular players?

Nolan Ryan took the Cy Young award with a 22-7 record, 233 ERA, & 204 Ks. He edged out Fernandez, who put up a fine 22-5 record with a 3.09 ERA & 167 strikeouts. Blyleven won 21 games with 212 Ks. Hudson had a 16-7 record & 3.38 ERA, pedestrian numbers for this staff, but led the league with 277 Ks, as he, Blyleven, & Ryan finished 1-2-3 in the AL in that category. Jensen recorded 41 saves, only one behind New York's Goose Gossage for the league lead.

In the ALCS, the Mariners once again, after a one-year hiatus, met their eternal nemesis, the Tigers. Seattle proved who the true dynasty was, however, sweeping them in three straight. In the NLCS, the Dodgers met the Expos for the third year in a row, and beat them for the third year in a row, this time in a sweep to win their third straight NL Championship.

In the World Series, the Mariners swept their way to victory over the Dodgers, who have now lost three straight World Series. The Buffalo Bills of baseball? At least they have several titles in their storied history, though. But not this year, as the Mariners three-peat as champs!

World Series Game 4 box score:



1983 AL Standings:



1983 AL Award Winners:



1983 AL Batting Leaders:



1983 AL Pitching Leaders:



1983 NL Standings:



1983 NL Award Winners:



1983 NL Batting Leaders:



1983 NL Pitching Leaders:



1983 Seattle Mariners Team Stats:

[ThatSeventiesGuy]

1983 Season Highlights:

4-5: San Diego's Luis Salazar starts the season with a bang, hitting for the cycle on opening day!



5-19: The Mariners put an epic 27-0 hurt on the Angels, dominating at bat (all 11 Mariners who came to bat in the game had at least one hit, and nine had at least one RBI) and on the mound (Nolan Ryan pitched a complete game 2-hit shutout, racking up 8 Ks).



5-24: In his very next start, Ryan does even better, no-hitting Cleveland.



7-2: Cincinnati's Johnny Bench shows he still has some life left in his bat, connecting for three homers off the Braves' Ken Dayley.



7-8: Less than a week later, Cleveland's Chris Bando, not known for power hitting, hits three out of the park against the Twins...giving him four for the entire season!



7-8: That very same day, Gaylord Perry got his 300th career win for the Mariners against the Orioles. I looked to see how many wins he had at one point during the season, and noticed he retired after the 1981 season only two wins shy of 300! Being the nice guy I am, I immediately unretired him, signed him up, and put him in my rotation until he got those two wins. It only took him three starts. I then traded him to the Giants to finish his career (he had no decisions there in 12 relief appearances). His final W-L record? 300-250. Hall of Fame bound!



7-22: Two weeks later, Houston's Don Sutton matched Perry's feat, getting his own 300th career win at Montreal.



7-23: The next day, Harold Baines of the White Sox hit three home runs against the Brewers.



8-6: In Rookie League action in the Heartland League, New Orleans no-hits Vincennes. My poor hometown crew!



8-31: 1983 was a big year for 3-homer performances! Don Mattingly blasts a trio for the Yankees at Oakland.



9-17: The Cardinals' Danny Cox pitches a no-hitter at Philadelphia.

[ThatSeventiesGuy]

In 1984, the Mariners attempted to win their fourth straight championship. The exhibition season started out well, with two lopsided victories in a span of just a few days.

First, a 24-0 massacre of the White Sox on March 4:



And then a 24-1 stomping of the Indians on March 8:



The regular season also went well, as the team won a new record of 126 games, finishing an amazing 90 games over .500! They won the AL West by a whopping 40 games over the Royals. Angelo Perez had an MVP caliber season with .278-39-138 numbers, just missing out on winning the trophy, finishing third to the Yankees' Don Mattingly. Jim "Melody" Denton also had a great year at the plate, posting a .314-36-126 line to finish as runner-up to Mattingly. SS Raul Trevino had a career year, hitting .301-21-103 and winning one of two Gold Gloves for the Mariners this season (Catcher Anthony Miller had the other). Trudel got hurt and lost his job, while Griffin continued his sad decline, hitting only 2 HR on the season and losing his job at 1B early in the season to rookie Alvin Davis.

Bill Hudson won the Cy Young with an incredible 26-2 mark, winning his first 18 decisions. He posted a 1.79 ERA and 304 Ks, winning the pitching version of the Triple Crown. Nolan Ryan was not far behind, going 22-9 with 216 Ks and a 3.65 ERA. Blyleven was once again awesome, winning his 300th game late in the season and putting up a 25-5 mark with a 2.99 ERA & 202 Ks. John Drake made an easy transition from the bullpen to the rotation, going 20-6, 3.08, 179. 5th starter Jim Beattie just missed giving the Mariners a record five 20-game winners, going 19-9. Jensen saved 44 games with a sparkling 1.52 ERA.

In the playoffs, the Mariners met their 1977 expansion mates, the Toronto Blue Jays, who finally broke through with a division title, edging out the always-dangerous Tigers by one game. The M's made short work of them in the ALCS, however, dispatching them in three straight. In the NL, in a case of OOTP imitating real life, the Cubs made their first playoff appearance in eons, beating the Cardinals in a one-game playoff for the NL East title. But also like in real life, they couldn't make it to the World Series, as the Giants beat them in the NLCS, 3 games to 1.

The Mariners then swept the Giants in the World Series for their fourth straight Championship! Dynasty!

Game 4 box score:



1984 AL Standings:



1984 AL Award Winners:



1984 AL Batting Leaders:



1984 AL Pitching Leaders:



1984 NL Standings:



1984 NL Award Winners:



1984 NL Batting Leaders:



1984 NL Pitching Leaders:



1984 Seattle Mariners Team Stats:

[ThatSeventiesGuy]

1984 Season Highlights:

5-19: Dave Stieb pitches another no-hitter, this time against the White Sox.



6-19: Exactly one month later, Minnesota's Kent Hrbek hits for the cycle against Cleveland.



9-2: Lopez of the Vincennes Velvets snuffs the Roosters, no-hitting Richmond.



9-4: The Indians have a knack for getting cycle'd. This time Doug DeCinces of the Angels victimizes them for that feat.



9-17: Bert Blyleven gets his 300th career win, marking the second year in a row that a pitcher got his 300th win in a Mariners uniform.



9-29: Bill Hudson caps off his amazing season with 15 strikeouts against the White Sox.

[ThatSeventiesGuy]

St. Louis, MO

January 3, 1985

Legendary General Manager Jason Dunstan, whose teams have won 14 World Series titles in his 24 years in baseball, including five in his eight-year run in Seattle, has decided to take on a new challenge.

"I feel I have nothing left to prove in Seattle. The Mariners have won the last four World Series, and I'm leaving them in good hands. I want to thank Mr. Newsom, Chuck Cottier and his coaches, and especially all the great Mariner players for a hell of a run. I can only do so much...they're the ones who get all the wins."

So, what's the next challenge?

"The Cardinals were my favorite team growing up. I know that the one-game playoff loss to the Cubs - the CUBS, of all teams - really sticks in the craw of Cardinal fans everywhere. And the team has usually been competitive, but hasn't won a title since 1946."

"I was asked to come aboard to help the Cards get over the hump, finally. I think I can help in that regard, given my track record."

So, what changes can we expect to see on the Cardinal roster?

"Well, I don't want to give anything away just yet," replied Dunstan. "But several of my Mariner players are free agents, so I'm hoping maybe they'll want to join their old GM. And Mr. Busch has agreed to open up his wallet to help me get them here."

"We have a great manager in Whitey Herzog, and players who are already playoff-caliber. It shouldn't take much to get this team in the Series...and once you're there, you're only one step away."

Things are about to get interesting in St. Louis, folks.