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.
Jay Campbell Buhner, nicknamed "Bone", is an American former professional baseball right fielder. He played for the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball from 1987 to 2001. Noted for his shaved head, thick goatee, and patch of pine tar on the right hip of his uniform, he is regarded as one of the most popular players in Mariners' history.
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.
Stephen Charles Balboni is an American former Major League Baseball player, who played for the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals, and Texas Rangers. He was a player with home run power and a tendency to strike out. He was nicknamed "Bye Bye" because of his home run hitting prowess. He was also known by the nickname "Bones", which is a malapropism for Balboni. He is also known for the "Curse of the Balboni", an idea written about by Rany Jazayerli which said no baseball team with a player hitting more than 36 home runs for that team could win the World Series. Since Balboni was the last player to hit 36 home runs and win a World Series,, the curse bore his name. The curse ran from 1985 until Luis Gonzalez and the Arizona Diamondbacks won the 2001 World Series.
The 1995 American League Division Series (ALDS), the opening round of the 1995 American League playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 3, and ended on Sunday, October 8, with the champions of the three AL divisions—along with a "wild card" team—participating in two best-of-five series. As a result of both leagues realigning into three divisions in 1994, it marked the first time in major league history that a team could qualify for postseason play without finishing in first place in its league or division. The teams were:
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.
Brian Scott Holman is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher.
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, 11½ games 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 1991 Seattle Mariners season was the 15th since the franchise's creation. It was the first winning season in franchise history, as the Mariners finished fifth in the American League West with a record of 83–79 (.512). Home attendance at the Kingdome was the highest to date, exceeding 2.1 million.
The 1990 Seattle Mariners season was the 14th for the Seattle Mariners in Major League Baseball. Under second-year manager Jim Lefebvre, they finished fifth in the American League West at 77–85 (.475). It was the second-best record in the M's history up to that point in time; the win total was one behind the club record set in 1987. The Mariners hit six grand slams, the most in MLB in 1990.
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 1981 Seattle Mariners season was their fifth since the franchise creation, and were sixth in the American League West at 44–65 (.404). Due to the 1981 player's strike, the season was split in half, with pre-strike and post-strike results. The Mariners were sixth in the division in the first half at 21–36 (.368), and fifth in the second half at 23–29 (.442). The strike began on June 12 and regular season play resumed on August 10.
The 1990 Major League Baseball season saw the Cincinnati Reds upset the heavily favored Oakland Athletics in the World Series, for their first title since 1976.
Juan Ramón Bernhardt Coradin is a retired professional baseball player whose career spanned 13 seasons. Bernhardt spent parts of four seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the New York Yankees (1976), and the Seattle Mariners (1977–79). As a member of the inaugural Mariners team in 1977, he hit the team's first home run. Over his major league career, he compiled a .238 batting average with 46 runs scored, 117 hits, 19 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, and 43 runs batted in (RBIs) in 154 games played.
