Seattle Mariners: History of Starting Pitchers, Part 1

The Seattle Mariners have a long and interesting history in regards to starting pitching. Today, we take a look back at some of the more memorable pitchers to grace the mounds of the Kingdome and Safeco Field.

Diego Segui started the very first game in the history of the Mariners in 1977; however, he spent most of the season in the major leagues as a reliever. He had a record of 0-7 with an ERA of 5.69. He only started seven games over the whole season, though he ended up pitching in 40 while going 110 and ⅔ innings.

Glenn Abbott was the most successful pitcher for the Mariners in 1977. He had a record of 12-13 with an ERA of 4.45; he started 34 games for the Mariners – the most by any pitcher that season. The Mariners acquired Abbott in the expansion draft from the Oakland A’s.  He pitched six years for the Mariners, then was traded to the Detroit Tigers on August 23, 1984. He had a record of 44-62 in the six years with the Mariners.

In 1978, Paul Mitchell had the most wins for the Mariners with eight but had fourteen losses as well. He had a decent ERA under the circumstances at 4.18. Not bad for a team that lost over one hundred games on the season. Also, he pitched four complete games.  The Mariners acquired Mitchell from the Oakland A’s during 1977 where he started nine games. The Mariners traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers on June 7, 1979. He started only six games that year for the Mariners.

In 1979, Mike Parrott was acquired from the Baltimore Orioles before the 1978 season. He started only ten games that season. In 1979, he started 30 – tied for the most by a Mariner pitcher that year with Seattle native Floyd Bannister.

Parrott had a record of 14-12 with an ERA of 3.77. In 1980, he had one of the worst records ever by a Mariner pitcher at 1-16 with an ERA of 7.28. He was sent to the bullpen after starting 16 games. The Mariners sent him to Triple-A as well, starting four games. He pitched one final year with the Mariners in 1981 where he started 12 games, while appearing in 24, with a record of 3-6.

Since I mentioned him already I figure to put him in here as well; Bannister was with the Mariners for four years from 1978 through 1982. He posted a solid ERA for two years; however, being on a bad team didn’t let him have a winning record.

In 1980, Bannister had a record of 9-13 with an ERA of 3.47, starting all 32 games he pitched in along with eight complete games. In 1982, he had a record of 12-13 with an ERA of 3.45, starting 35 games and pitching a total of 247 innings. Doesn’t happen much anymore in baseball.

Gaylord Perry arrived on the scene in 1982, signing as a free agent with the Marines. The future Hall of Famer was known for throwing a spitball, which was illegal; however, Perry was never caught throwing the pitch. It was a homecoming of sorts for Perry since he pitched a full season in 1961 and 62 for the Triple-A Tacoma Giants.

Perry was 43 years old. He started 32 games with six complete games, pitching over 200 innings. He had a record of 10-12 with an ERA of 4.40. In 1983, he started 16 games with a record of 3-before the Mariners released him on June 23, 1983.

That same year, the Mariners had Matt Young for his rookie season. He was drafted by the Mariners in the 2nd round in 1980. He had such a good season he was in the All-Star game; however, he didn’t do as well the next two years.

In 1983, Young had a record of 11-15 with an ERA of 3.27. In 1986, the Mariners had Young pitch out of the bullpen where he had 13 saves. On December 10, 1986, the Mariners traded Young to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Dennis Powell.

Young did return to the Mariners signing a one-year contract as a free agent in 1990. He had a record of 8-18, though he had a solid 3.50 ERA. He then went to pitch for the Boston Red Sox for two years, and ended his major league career with the Cleveland Indians.