October 14, 2026
October 14, 2026
1997 Seattle Mariners: Northwest Mashing
Just two years earlier, in 1995, the Seattle Mariners mounted an improbable comeback campaign that did so much for the franchise that it secured a future in the form of a new ballpark built for the 21st century.
The 1997 Seattle Mariners went 90-72, finishing six games ahead of the Anaheim Angels to win the American League West division. The Mariners went 6-6 against the Angels in head-to-head play and went 45-36 both at their home ballpark, the Kingdome, and on the road. Unlike 1995, the Mariners didn’t need to come all the way back from 13 games behind to win the division, as their only down month of the regular season was May. Otherwise, they were clearly one of the best teams in the American League, as their full 1997 season statistics show.
Designated hitter Edgar Martinez batted .330 with 28 home runs and 108 RBIs off 179 hits and 35 doubles. Center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. batted .304 with 56 home runs and 147 RBIs off 185 hits, 34 doubles and 15 stolen bases. 1997 was one of Griffey’s best years, as he was named American League Most Valuable Player and won a Silver Slugger Award. Griffey also won a Gold Glove Award for his amazing play in center field.
Shortstop Alex Rodriguez was coming into his own as he batted .300 with 23 home runs and 84 RBIs off 176 hits, 40 doubles and 29 stolen bases. Second baseman Joey Cora batted .300 with 11 home runs, 172 hits, 40 doubles, 4 triples and 6 stolen bases. Third baseman Russ Davis batted .271 with 20 home runs and 63 RBIs off 114 hits, 29 doubles and 6 stolen bases in 119 games. Catcher Dan Wilson batted .270 with 15 home runs and 74 RBIs off 137 hits, 31 doubles and 7 stolen bases. First baseman Paul Sorrento had 31 home runs and 80 RBIs off 123 hits and 19 doubles. Right fielder Jay Buhner had 40 home runs and 109 RBIs off 131 hits and 18 doubles.
Left fielder Rich Amaral batted .284 with 54 hits and 12 doubles in 89 games. Left fielder Rob Ducey batted .287 with 41 hits and 15 doubles in 76 games. Left fielder Jose Cruz Jr. had 49 hits and 12 doubles in 49 games.
Known as the “Big Unit,” starting pitcher Randy Johnson remained one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball, going 20-4 with a whopping 291 strikeouts and a 2.28 ERA while recording 5 complete games and 2 shutouts. Johnson finished second in the voting for the American League Cy Young Award, just behind Roger Clemens of the Toronto Blue Jays. Jeff Fassero went 16-9 with 189 strikeouts and a 3.61 ERA, recording 2 complete games and 1 shutout. Jamie Moyer went 17-5 with 113 strikeouts and a 3.86 ERA, recording 2 complete games. Ken Cloude went 4-2 in 9 games started.
Closer Norm Charlton had 14 saves. Relief pitcher Bobby Ayala went 10-5 with 8 saves, 92 strikeouts and a 3.82 ERA. Bob Wells went 2-0 with 2 saves. Scott Sanders had 2 saves. Mike Timlin went 3-2 with 1 save and a 3.86 ERA.
Throughout the regular season, the 1997 Seattle Mariners gave opponents a healthy dose of “Northwest Mashing” as they led the American League with 264 home runs. With the exception of May, the Mariners consistently won games every month, going 16-11 in April, 20-7 in June, 13-13 in July, 15-15 in August and 15-10 in September.
The best example of Seattle getting timely hits in convincing fashion came on May 4 against the Milwaukee Brewers in front of the home crowd at the Kingdome. The Mariners blanked the Brewers 9-0. Jamie Moyer pitched 7 innings and gave up 5 hits and 2 walks while recording just 1 strikeout. In the bottom of the 4th inning, Edgar Martinez had an RBI double, and Jay Buhner followed by reaching on an error to score Martinez. In the bottom of the 5th, Joey Cora had an RBI double. In the bottom of the 6th, Dan Wilson had a 2-run double, and third baseman Brent Gates added a sacrifice fly to score Paul Sorrento. In the bottom of the 7th, Wilson had a 2-run single, and in the bottom of the 8th, Ken Griffey Jr. had an RBI single.
The Mariners appeared prepared for a long postseason run, but the Baltimore Orioles had other ideas. In the American League Division Series, the Mariners were eliminated by the Orioles 3 games to 1, but the one win Seattle did secure gave Mariners fans hope for the near future. In Game 3 on October 4 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the Mariners beat the Orioles 4-2. Jeff Fassero pitched 8 innings and gave up 3 hits, 4 walks and 1 run while recording 3 strikeouts. In the top of the 3rd inning, left fielder Roberto Kelly had an RBI double. In the top of the 5th, Ken Griffey Jr. had an RBI single, and in the top of the 9th, Jay Buhner and Paul Sorrento both hit solo home runs. Right fielder Jeffrey Hammonds had a 2-run double in the bottom of the 9th to give Baltimore a lift, but it wouldn’t be enough.
While the Seattle Mariners would return to the postseason just a few years later, they would do so without their star center fielder Ken Griffey Jr., who would be traded to the Cincinnati Reds. The 1997 Seattle Mariners also gave the Kingdome its final taste of postseason baseball, as the stadium closed on January 9, 2000, and was demolished on March 26, 2000.
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