Bellingham Mariners

Last updated

Bellingham Mariners
Minor league affiliations
Class Class A-Short Season
League Northwest League
Major league affiliations
Previous teams Seattle Mariners (1977–1994)
Los Angeles Dodgers (1973–1976)
Minor league titles
League titles (4)
  • 1977
  • 1980
  • 1986
  • 1992
Division titles (7)
  • 1977
  • 1980
  • 1981
  • 1983
  • 1986
  • 1992
  • 1993
Team data
Previous names
Bellingham Dodgers (1973–1976)
ColorsNavy blue, silver, northwest green
   
Previous parks
Joe Martin Field
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
Bellingham
Location in the United States

The Bellingham Mariners were a Minor League Baseball team in the Class A-Short Season Northwest League, based in Bellingham, Washington. The club served as the Seattle Mariners' short-season affiliate from 1977 to 1994.

Contents

History

Major League Baseball returned to Seattle in 1977 with the expansion Mariners of the American League. Bellingham signed a player development contract with Seattle and adopted their parent club's identity, taking the name Mariners. [1] Also referred to as Baby M's, the team would serve as Seattle's only affiliate in their inaugural season. [2] The Northwest League had two divisions, one for teams with affiliations and the other for independents. Bellingham won the affiliate division with a 42–26 record and played the Portland Mavericks for the league championship. In a best of three series, Bellingham and Portland split the first two games. The Baby M's held off the Mavericks by a score of 4–2 in the decisive game to claim the 1977 Northwest League crown. [3] Bobby Floyd earned the league's manager of the year award. [4] The Mariners continued their on-field success with nearly identical records going 41–30 and 41–31 in consecutive seasons.

In 1980, Bellingham amassed a 45-25 en route to a North Division title. The Baby M's faced the Eugene Emeralds in the league championship series, which they split during the first two games. The decisive third game was cancelled due to rain; as a result, the Mariners and Emeralds were named co-champions of the Northwest League. [5] The club witnessed a significant jump in attendance with 42,292 passing through the turnstiles.

Seeking to repeat as league champions the Baby M's claimed the north division. Bellingham faced the Medford A's in the championship series, but were swept in two games. Two seasons later in 1983, with a roster that included future Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez, the Mariners claimed the division title with a 40-28 record. Bellingham was again defeated by a large margin by Medford in the championship series. In 1984 and 1985 the Baby M's posted mirror finishes at 39-35 taking second in the Washington division standings.

In 1987, 17-year-old Ken Griffey Jr. hit his first professional home run while on the road at Everett Memorial Stadium on June 18. [6] A plaque was placed on the sidewalk outside the stadium where the ball landed. [7]

Despite on-field success and a steady stream of Mariners prospects, the club struggled with poor attendance. Following the 1994 season, the Mariners ended their relationship with Bellingham. [8] Seattle moved their affiliation south to Everett were the team assumed a new identity as the Everett AquaSox. Everett, who had been affiliated with the San Francisco Giants swapped with Seattle and moved their short-season affiliation to Bellingham. Bellingham assumed their parent club's moniker to become the Bellingham Giants in 1995. [9] The city government demurred on funding $100,000 in renovations to the team's ballpark amid the affiliation change. [10]

Ballpark

The Bellingham franchise played at Joe Martin Field, a venue with a seating capacity near 1,600. Since 1999, the ballpark serves as the home of the Bellingham Bells of the collegiate summer West Coast League. [11] [12]

Season-by-season record

SeasonPDC Division Finish Wins Losses Win% Post-seasonManagerAttendance
Bellingham Mariners
1977 SEA Affiliate1st4226.618Defeated Portland in championship series 2-1 [13] Bobby Floyd 36,730
1978 SEA North3rd4130.577 Bob Didier 29,739
1979 SEA North2nd4131.569Jeff Scott31,741
1980 SEA North1st4525.643Tied Eugene 1–1 (Game 3 cancelled due to rain)Jeff Scott42,292
1981 SEA North1st3931.557Lost to Medford in championship series 2-0Jeff Scott21,390
1982 SEA North2nd3337.471Jeff Scott17,211
1983 SEA Washington1st4028.588Lost to Medford in championship series 2-0Jeff Scott12,944
1984 SEA Washington2nd3935.568Gary Pellant15,812
1985 SEA Washington2nd3935.541Gary Pellant18,343
1986 SEA Washington1st4529.608Defeated Eugene in championship 1–0Sal Rende14,916
1987 SEA South4th3046.395 Rick Sweet 22,183
1988 SEA North4th2551.329 P. J. Carey 15,015
1989 SEA North3rd3243.427P. J. Carey31,685
1990 SEA North3rd3244.421P. J. Carey52,461
1991 SEA North2nd3739.487 Dave Myers 60,484
1992 SEA North1st4333.566Defeated Bend in championship series 2–0Dave Myers68,928
Bellingham Mariners
1993 SEA North1st4432.579Lost to Boise in championship series 2-0 Mike Goff 74,900
1994 SEA North2nd4234.553Mike Goff71,256
Division winnerLeague champions

Hall of Fame alumni

Notable players

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seattle Mariners</span> Major League Baseball franchise in Seattle, Washington

The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team in 1977 playing their home games in the Kingdome. Since July 1999, the Mariners' home ballpark has been T-Mobile Park, located in the SoDo neighborhood of Seattle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Griffey Jr.</span> American baseball player (born 1969)

George Kenneth Griffey Jr., nicknamed "Junior" and "the Kid", is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played 22 years in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent most of his career with the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds, along with a short stint with the Chicago White Sox. A member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and a 13-time All-Star, Griffey is one of the most prolific home run hitters in baseball history; his 630 home runs rank as the seventh-most in MLB history. Griffey was also an exceptional defender and won 10 Gold Glove Awards in center field. He is tied for the record of most consecutive games with a home run.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwest League</span> Minor League Baseball Class High-A league based in the Pacific Northwest

The Northwest League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Northwestern United States and Western Canada. A Class A Short Season league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues. The league operated as the High-A West in 2021, then resumed its original moniker in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T-Mobile Park</span> Baseball stadium in Seattle, Washington

T-Mobile Park is a retractable roof stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Seattle Mariners and has a seating capacity of 47,929. It is in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood, near the western terminus of Interstate 90. It is owned and operated by the Washington State Major League Baseball Stadium Public Facilities District. The first game at the stadium was played on July 15, 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seattle Rainiers</span> Minor league baseball team

The Seattle Rainiers, originally named the Seattle Indians and also known as the Seattle Angels and, during 1919, the Seattle Purple Sox, were a Minor League Baseball team in Seattle, Washington, that played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903 to 1906 and 1919 to 1968. They were initially named for the indigenous Native American population of the Pacific Northwest, and changed their name after being acquired by the Rainier Brewing Company, which was in turn named for nearby Mount Rainier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spokane Indians</span> Minor league baseball team

The Spokane Indians are a Minor League Baseball team located in Spokane Valley, the city immediately east of Spokane, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest. The Indians are members of the High-A Northwest League (NWL) as an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. Spokane plays its home games at Avista Stadium, which opened in 1958 and has a seating capacity of 6,752.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugene Emeralds</span> Minor league baseball team

The Eugene Emeralds are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Eugene, Oregon. The Emeralds are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the San Francisco Giants. Eugene plays their home games at PK Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everett AquaSox</span> Minor league baseball team

The Everett AquaSox are a Minor League Baseball team in Everett, Washington. The team is a member of the Northwest League and is affiliated with the Seattle Mariners. The AquaSox play their home games at Funko Field, which has a seating capacity of 3,682. Everett has won three division titles and one Northwest League championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salem-Keizer Volcanoes</span> Minor league baseball team

The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes are a baseball team located in Keizer, Oregon, who are charter members of the Mavericks Independent Baseball League, a four-team league entirely based in the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area and playing all their home games at Volcanoes Stadium. From 1997 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's Northwest League as the Class A Short Season affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. With the reorganization of baseball after the 2020 season, the Volcanoes were not offered a player development license with any Major League Baseball club, though the Volcanoes promised to continue play in 2021, a promise they kept in forming the Mavericks League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland Mavericks</span> Minor league baseball team

The Portland Mavericks are a baseball team located in Keizer, Oregon, who are charter members of the Mavericks Independent Baseball League, a four-team league created in 2021. The entire league, including the Mavericks, will play their games at Volcanoes Stadium in the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The owners of the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, a former San Francisco Giants' Minor League Baseball affiliate, bought the rights to the Mavericks to help create the league after the Giants ended the affiliation in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everett Memorial Stadium</span> Stadium complex for football and baseball in Everett, Washington

Everett Memorial Stadium is an outdoor sports complex in Everett, Washington, which includes a stadium for football and a ballpark for baseball. Opened in 1947, it has been the home field of the Everett AquaSox, a Minor League Baseball team in the High-A West, and its predecessor, the Everett Giants, since 1984. In 2019, the ballpark became known as Funko Field. The football stadium has been home to the Everett Reign, a women's football team, since 2013. The complex is owned by the Everett School District, whose schools use both stadiums for their athletic programs. It is also home to the Puget Sound Festival of Bands, an annual marching band competition. The facility was remodeled in 1998 to have a seating capacity of 3,682 people for baseball and 12,000 for football.

John Charles Moses is an American former professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1982 to 1992. After his retirement as a player, he was an MLB coach and subsequently a minor league manager. As a player, he was listed at 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) and 165 pounds (75 kg); he threw right-handed and was a switch hitter.

James William Nettles is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played all or part of six seasons in Major League Baseball, between 1970 and 1981, for the Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics. In 1975, he played for the Nankai Hawks of Nippon Professional Baseball. Following his playing career, Nettles managed in the minor leagues from 1983 until 1996. He is the younger brother of Graig Nettles.

The Everett Giants were a minor league baseball team based in Everett, Washington, north of Seattle. The Giants were members of the Class A-Short Season Northwest League from 1984 through 1994 and were an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.

The Bellingham Giants were a Minor League Baseball team in the Class A-Short Season Northwest League, based in Bellingham, Washington, for two seasons, and were an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. After years of struggling attendance, co-owners Jerry Walker and William Tucker moved the franchise south to Keizer, Oregon, and began play in 1997 as the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes.

The Double was a double hit by the Seattle Mariners' Edgar Martínez in Game 5 of Major League Baseball's 1995 American League Division Series on October 8, 1995. Trailing by one run in the bottom half of the 11th inning, with Joey Cora on third base and Ken Griffey Jr. on first, Martinez's hit drove in Cora and Griffey, giving the Mariners a 6–5 victory over the New York Yankees to clinch the series, 3–2. The play is held to be the "biggest hit in franchise history".

The Bellingham Dodgers were a Minor League Baseball team in the Class A-Short Season Northwest League, based in Bellingham, Washington. The franchise played four season as an affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1973 to 1976. In 1977 the team would change names to Bellingham Mariners representative of their new parent club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame</span> Baseball hall of fame in Seattle, Washington

The Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame is an American museum and hall of fame for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball. It is located at T-Mobile Park in the SoDo district of downtown Seattle.

Joe Martin Stadium is a baseball park in the northwest United States, located in Bellingham, Washington. It was a minor league ballpark in the Class A-Short Season Northwest League for 24 seasons, from 1973 through 1996.

References

  1. Lawrence, John (November 30, 1976). "Only one farm for the Mariners". The News Tribune . p. A14. Retrieved December 31, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  2. Sandsberry, Scott (August 8, 1977). "How good should the Bellingham Mariners be?". The Bellingham Herald . p. 17. Retrieved December 31, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  3. "M's dump Mavs for NWL title, 4-2". The Bellingham Herald. September 1, 1977. p. 11. Retrieved December 31, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Bellingham's Floyd manager of the year". Corvallis Gazette-Times . Associated Press. August 24, 1977. p. 18. Retrieved December 31, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  5. Carberry, Jim (September 2, 1980). "M's, Emeralds named NWL co-champions". The Bellingham Herald. p. D1. Retrieved December 31, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Northwest League: Wednesday's results". The Spokesman-Review. June 19, 1987. p. 36 via Google News Archive.
  7. Baker, Geoff (August 29, 2008). "Fun is No. 1 at Everett AquaSox games". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on September 2, 2008. Retrieved November 1, 2008.
  8. "Mariners drop Calgary, Bellingham". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. September 8, 1994. p. C3. Retrieved December 31, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  9. Sleeper, John (January 8, 1995). "Giant changes in store". The Bellingham Herald. p. D1. Retrieved December 31, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  10. Sheehan, Kathy (September 11, 1994). "Questions fall into council's lap". The Bellingham Herald. p. A8. Retrieved December 31, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Joe Martin Field". Bellingham Bells. Archived from the original on September 1, 2014. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
  12. "Minor League Baseball Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com". Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved November 8, 2008.
  13. "Bellingham wins title". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. September 1, 1977. p. 22 via Google News Archive.
Preceded by Northwest League franchise
1977-1994
Succeeded by