Seattle Mariners Top Ten Starting Pitchers in Franchise History
By Ben Garza
9. Mike Moore
Mike Moore was the first overall pick in the first round of the 1981 Draft for the Seattle Mariners. No, not the film producer. Mike Moore out of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The 6-foot-4, right handed hurler had lofty expectations laid on him early on. His best year for the Mariners was in 1985, when he won 17 and lost 10 games with a 3.46 ERA and 1.215 WHIP.
He made his debut for the Mariners on April 11, 1982. He would pitch seven years for the Mariners totalling 1457 innings. He won 66 games and lost 98 from 1982 to 1988. During his Mariners career he achieved a 4.38 ERA and a 1.395 WHIP with a 1.75 strikeout to walk ratio. He pitched 56 complete games for the Mariners including 9 shutouts. He earned an 18 in pitchers WAR for the Mariners.
His career rankings all-time for the Mariners in several categories are notable. In pitchers WAR he ranks sixth all-time. He also ranks first in complete games and is tied for third in shutouts. He ranks fifth in total strikeouts and fourth in total innings pitched for the Mariners. He is fourth in games started and sixth in total wins.
“The big Oklahoman” as Dave Niehaus would call him, pitched a long seven years for the Mariners. However it wasn’t until he played his eighth year for the Oakland Athletics that he had his best year in the Majors. He would go on to make the All-Star team and pitch in the 1989 World Series. You might remember this World Series as the earthquake series. The earthquake that hit the bay area just before game three. Due to the earthquake there was a ten day delay between game two and game three. That meant that Mike Moore was able to pitch in game two and game four, winning both games, as the Athletics swept their across the bay rival the San Francisco Giants.
Next: Seattle Native