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,the first overall pick in the 1987 draft,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.
John Garrett Olerud,Jr. is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from 1989 through 2005,most notably as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays team that won two consecutive World Series championships in 1992 and 1993. He also played for the New York Mets,Seattle Mariners,New York Yankees,and Boston Red Sox.
Alvin Glenn Davis,nicknamed "Mr. Mariner",is an American former Major League Baseball first baseman and designated hitter. He played eight of his nine seasons for the Seattle Mariners and won the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 1984.
Kenneth Allen Phelps is an American former professional baseball designated hitter and first baseman. He played for six different Major League Baseball (MLB) teams from 1980 to 1990,primarily with the Seattle Mariners. Baseball statistician Bill James cited Phelps as an example of a player who is unfairly denied a chance to play in the majors,despite compiling strong minor league statistics.
William Holland Caudill is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Caudill was one of the top closers in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1982 to 1985.
The 2000 American League Championship Series (ALCS) was a matchup between the East Division champion New York Yankees and the Wild Card Seattle Mariners. The Yankees had advanced to the Series after beating the West Division champion Oakland Athletics in the ALDS three games to two and the Mariners advanced by beating the Central Division champion Chicago White Sox three games to none. The Yankees won the Series four games to two and went on to defeat the New York Mets in the World Series to win their third consecutive World Series championship,26th overall.
Elliott Taylor "Bump" Wills is an American former professional baseball player,a second baseman in the major leagues for the Texas Rangers (1977–1981) and Chicago Cubs (1982). He also played two seasons in Japan for the Hankyu Braves (1983–84).
Dale Anthony Berra is an American former Major League Baseball player who primarily played as an infielder from 1977 to 1987. He is the son of Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra and brother of former Baltimore Colts return specialist Tim Berra.
Brian Scott Holman is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher.
The 1985 New York Yankees season was the 83rd season for the Yankees. The team only played 161 games,came in second place in the American League East with a record of 97–64,and finished 2 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays. The Yankees did not qualify for the postseason,marking the 1985 Yankees a failed season. New York was managed by Yogi Berra and Billy Martin. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium.
The 1988 New York Yankees season was the 86th season for the Yankees. The team finished with a record of 85–76,finishing in fifth place,3.5 games behind the Boston Red Sox. New York was managed by Lou Piniella and Billy Martin,with the latter managing the team for the fifth and final time. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium.
The Seattle Mariners 1998 season was their 22nd season,and was the final year in which Kingdome was the home venue for the entire season. Their record was 76–85 (.472) and they finished in third place in the four-team American League West,11½games behind the champion Texas Rangers.
The Seattle Mariners 1997 season was their 21st season,and the team won their second American League West title, with a record of 90–72 (.556), six games ahead of the runner-up Anaheim Angels. For the second straight year,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 with 264. Five Mariners scored at least 100 runs and six hit at least 20 home runs. In addition,the Seattle pitching staff led the league with 1,207 strikeouts. In the postseason,the Mariners lost the ALDS to the Baltimore Orioles in 4 games.
The 1995 Seattle Mariners season was the 19th in the history of the franchise. The team finished with a regular season record of 79–66 (.545) to win their first American League West title,after having been down by as many as 13 games in early August. They had tied the California Angels for first place,and in the one-game tiebreaker,the Mariners defeated the Angels 9–1 to make the postseason for the first time in franchise history.
The 1992 Seattle Mariners season was their 16th since the franchise creation. The team finished seventh (last) in the American League West with a record of 64–98 (.395).
The 1989 Seattle Mariners season was their 13th since the franchise creation,and the team finished sixth in the American League West,with a record of 73–89 (.451). The Mariners were led by first-year manager Jim Lefebvre and the season was enlivened by the arrival of nineteen-year-old Ken Griffey Jr.,the first overall pick of the 1987 draft.
The Seattle Mariners 1988 season was their 12th since the franchise creation,and ended the season finishing seventh in the American League West with a record of 68–93 (.422).
The 1983 Major League Baseball season was the seventh season in the history of the Seattle Mariners. They were seventh in the American League West at 60–102 (.370),39 games behind,with the worst record in the major leagues. They became the first team to fail to sweep an opponent in any series.
The 1982 Seattle Mariners season was their sixth since the franchise creation,and the team finished fourth in the American League West with a record of 76–86 (.469).
Richard Pendleton Balderson is a retired American professional baseball player,front-office executive and scout. A longtime scouting and player development director,Balderson was the general manager of the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball from late October 1985 through late July 1988.
