1997 Seattle Mariners season
The Seattle Mariners 1997 season was their 21st since the franchise creation, and ended the season finishing 1st in the American League West, finishing with a record of 90-72. For the second straight regular season, they led the AL in runs scored (925) and shattered the all-time record for most home runs hit by a team in one season (set at 257 by the Baltimore Orioles just one season earlier) with 264. Five Mariners scored at least 100 runs and six hit at least 20 home runs. In addition, the Mariners pitching staff struck out 1,207 batters during the regular season: more than any other AL team.
Offseason
- October 3, 1996: Ricky Jordan was released by the Seattle Mariners.[1]
- November 12, 1996: Jalal Leach was signed as a Free Agent with the Seattle Mariners.[2]
- November 15, 1996: Dave Silvestri was selected off waivers by the Seattle Mariners from the Montreal Expos.[3]
- December 21, 1996: Josías Manzanillo was signed as a Free Agent with the Seattle Mariners.[4]
- January 10, 1997: Brent Mayne was signed as a Free Agent with the Seattle Mariners.[5]
- January 24, 1997: Mike Blowers was signed as a Free Agent with the Seattle Mariners.[6]
- February 20, 1997: Dennis Martínez was signed as a Free Agent with the Seattle Mariners.[7]
- March 27, 1997: Dave Silvestri was selected off waivers by the Texas Rangers from the Seattle Mariners.[3]
- March 28, 1997: Brent Mayne was released by the Seattle Mariners.[5]
Regular season
Ken Griffey, Jr., pictured in August 1997, won the Most Valuable Player award in 1997
In 1997, Randy Johnson set an American League record for left-handers by striking out nineteen batters in a 4-1 loss to the Oakland A's on June 24.[8]
On August 8 he matched the feat by setting down nineteen Chicago White Sox.[8]
Johnson posted a 20-4 record with 291 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.28. He finished second in the Cy Young balloting to Toronto's Roger Clemens.[8]
Opening Day starters
- Jay Buhner
- Joey Cora
- Russ Davis
- Jeff Fassero
- Ken Griffey, Jr.
- Edgar Martínez
- Alex Rodriguez
- Paul Sorrento
- Lee Tinsley
- Dan Wilson[9]
Season standings
Notable transactions
- April 8, 1997: Steve Decker was signed as a Free Agent with the Seattle Mariners.[10]
- May 24, 1997: Dennis Martínez was released by the Seattle Mariners.[7]
- July 17, 1997: Josías Manzanillo was released by the Seattle Mariners.[4]
- July 31, 1997: Heathcliff Slocumb was traded by the Boston Red Sox to the Seattle Mariners for Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek.
- July 31, 1997: Paul Spoljaric was traded by the Toronto Blue Jays with Mike Timlin to the Seattle Mariners for Jose Cruz.[11]
- August 20, 1997: Roberto Kelly was traded by the Minnesota Twins to the Seattle Mariners for players to be named later. The Seattle Mariners sent Joe Mays (October 9, 1997) and Jeromy Palki (minors) (October 9, 1997) to the Minnesota Twins to complete the trade.
- September 2, 1997: Steve Decker was released by the Seattle Mariners.[10]
Roster
| 1997 Seattle Mariners |
| Roster |
| Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
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Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
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Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Pos |
Player |
G |
AB |
H |
Avg. |
HR |
RBI |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
| Player |
G |
AB |
H |
Avg. |
HR |
RBI |
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player |
G |
IP |
W |
L |
ERA |
SO |
| Sanders, ScottScott Sanders | 33 | 65.1 | 3 | 6 | 6.47 | 62 |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
ALDS
Game 1
October 1, Kingdome
Game 2
October 2, Kingdome
Game 3
October 4, Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Game 4
October 5, Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Awards and honors
- The Mariners led the American League in home runs with 264[12]
Farm system
[13]
References
- ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jordari02.shtml
- ↑ http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/leachja01.shtml
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/silveda01.shtml
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/manzajo01.shtml
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/maynebr01.shtml
- ↑ Mike Blowers Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/martide01.shtml
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 The Ballplayers - Randy Johnson | BaseballLibrary.com
- ↑ 1997 Seattle Mariners Roster by Baseball Almanac
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Steve Decker Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com
- ↑ Paul Spoljaric Statistics - Baseball-Reference.com
- ↑ Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures, 2008 Edition, p.380, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, ISBN 978-0-451-22363-0
- ↑ Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007
External links
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