Seattle Mariners: History of Starting Pitchers, Part 1

Mark Langston and the 1980’s

In 1984, the Seattle Mariners had a left-handed rookie starting pitcher in Mark Langston. He had a record of 17-10. He had an ERA of 3.40. The next two seasons didn’t go as hot for him, though, posting abysmal ERAs of 5.47 and 4.85, respectively.

Langston had a great year in 1987; he had a record of 19-13 with an ERA of 3.84. He also pitched 272 innings, the most in Mariners history, and threw 14 complete games.

The next season was Langston’s last full season with the Mariners. He had a record of 15-11 with an ERA of 3.24. On May 25, 1989, Langston was traded to the Montreal Expos because he was going to be a free agent at the end of the season, and the Mariners wanted to get something for him. The Mariners picked up four pitchers who were unknown at the time. One of those was Randy Johnson.

In 1981, the Mariners drafted Mike Moore as the first pitcher taken. He pitched for the Mariners from 1982 through 1988. He had only one winning season with the Mariners in 1985 where his record was 17-10 with an ERA of 3.46 and 14 complete games. He signed as a free agent with the Oakland A’s in 1989, where he had his best season in the major leagues at 19-11.

The Mariners acquired Scott Bankhead from the Kansas City Royals in the trade they sent Danny Tartabull in on December 10, 1986. In his first couple years, he had tendonitis that limited his time on the mound; however, in 1988, he showed why the Mariners wanted him in the first place. He had a record of 14-6 with an ERA of 3.34 in 33 starts.

Unfortunately, Bankhead wasn’t able to do any better with the Mariners, coming down with a shoulder injury that limited him to just 21 starts in the next two years. The Mariners let him go, where he signed with the Cincinnati Reds. He was out of baseball after three more seasons. He never started a game after Seattle, except for his final season with the New York Yankees, starting once.

The Big Unit, Hanson, and the 90’s

Randy Johnson, better known as the “Big Unit,” was acquired in May 1989 for Mark Langston. That season, Johnson had a below-average for the Mariners. His record was 7-9 in 22 starts with an ERA of 4.40. He pitched for the Mariners from ’89 to 1997.

Johnson’s three best years for the Mariners were 1993, when he went 19-8 with an ERA of 3.24 along with a team record 308 strikeouts; 1995, when he went 18-2 with a 2.48 ERA and 294 strikeouts; and in 1997, going 20-4 with an ERA of 2.28 with 291 strikeouts. In 1996, Johnson only started 8 games because of a back injury.

Erik Hanson had the best year of his career in 1990, making 33 starts with a record of 18-9, an ERA of 3.24, and 211 strikeouts. In six seasons with the Mariners, he had a record of 56-54 with a solid 3.69 ERA. He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds on November 2, 1993, with Bret Boone for reliever Bobby Ayala and catcher Dan Wilson.

The Mariners brought up another young left-handed pitcher: 22-year-old Dave Fleming. He had two great years for the Mariners. In his rookie season in 1992, he had the best record on the Mariners staff at 17-10 with an ERA of 3.39 in 33 starts.

In 1993, he had another good year, going 12-5 with an ERA of 4.36 in 26 starts. After that season he came down with arm trouble and was never the same from that point forward. The Mariners traded him on July 7, 1995, to the Kansas City Royals. It was his last year in the major leagues at the age of 25.

On December 3, 1992, the Mariners signed right-hander Chris Bosio, who had pitched for the Milwaukee Brewers. He pitched for the Mariners from 1993 through 1996 – his last year in the major leagues. Bosio made his presence known early for the Mariners, pitching a no-hitter on April 22, 1993, against the Boston Red Sox.

His record in 1993 was 9-9; however, he had his lowest ERA, 3.45,  in his four years with the Mariners. In 1995, the year the Mariners finally made the playoffs for the first time, he had a record of 10-8 with an ERA of 4.92 while starting 31 games. He started two games in the playoff series the Mariners won over the New York Yankees but he didn’t get the victory in either one.

The Mariners acquired pitcher Andy Benes at the trading deadline for the push in 1995. He didn’t have a great ERA at 5.86; however, he started 12 games with a record of 7-2. He started game 2 and 5 in the series against the Yankees in the playoffs and game 4 against the Cleveland Indians in the American League Championship series. The Mariners lost two of the three games Benes pitched in the playoffs. He signed a free agent contract with the St. Louis Cardinals the next season.

In 1996, the Mariners had the second best record in the American League West at 85-76. The winningest pitcher on the staff that season was Sterling Hitchcock, whom the Mariners had picked up when they traded reliever Jeff Nelson and first baseman Tino Martinez to the New York Yankees. It was the only season Hitchcock pitched for the Mariners. They traded him to the San Diego Padres during the off-season. He had a record of 13-9, but had a terrible ERA of 5.35 in 35 starts.

The Mariners picked up Bob Wells from Yakima, Washington off of waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies on June 30, 1994. He spent most of his time pitching long relief for the Mariners, though he did start 16 games in 1996. He had his best record that season at 12-7 with an ERA of 5.30. The Mariners released Wells after the 1998 season. He ended up pitching in relief for the Minnesota Twins from 1999 through 2002.

Moyer, Freddy, and the Rise of the King

The Mariners also acquired Jamie Moyer in 1996. He was inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame in August 2015, becoming the ninth member. The Mariners picked him up at the trade deadline from the Boston Red Sox for outfielder Darren Bragg. He pitched for the Mariners for 11 seasons, than was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on August 19, 2006, for two minor leaguers.

In his eleven seasons with the Mariners, Moyer had a record of 145-87 with an era 3.97. His best two seasons were 2001 where he won 20 while losing 8, and 2003 with a record of 21-7.

Freddy Garcia made his debut in 1999 after being traded over from Houston for Randy Johnson in 1998. He pitched five and a half years for the Mariners before being traded to the Chicago White Sox. He had a total record of 76-50 with an ERA of 3.89. He started six games in the playoffs for the Mariners in 2000 and 2001.

Aaron Sele, the local product out of Poulsbo, Washington, signed a free agent contract before the 2000 season. The Baltimore Orioles were going to sign him; however, they changed their mind after his physical exam by the team doctors.

In 2000, Sele had a record of 17-10 with an ERA of 4.51. He was the first right-handed pitcher for the Mariners to make the All-Star team. He started two playoff games against the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees.

In 2001, his second season with the Mariners, he had a record of 15-5 and an ERA of 3.60. He started three games in the playoffs against the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees. He lost all three games as well. He signed a free agent contract with the Anaheim Angels after that season, playing there for three years.

In 2005, Sele returned again to the Mariners, who finished fourth in the American League West with a record of 69-63. He didn’t have a good year either with a record of 6-12 and an ERA of 5.66. Since the Mariners were not going anywhere, they released him on July 31, 2005.

Joel Pineiro was one of the Mariners top three starting pitchers in 2002, along with Jamie Moyer and Freddie Garcia. He made appearances on the Mariners in 2000 and 2001, but the 2002 season was his first full year in the major leagues. He had a record of 14-7 with an ERA of 3.24, pitching 194 innings. The next year, he had another good campaign for the Mariners, with a record of 16-11 and an ERA of 3.78 while pitching 211 innings.

Pineiro didn’t have any other years with the Mariners like 2002 and 2003. In 2004 he had a record of 6-11. He started 21 games that year before going on the disabled list on July 27. He didn’t return the rest of the season.

In 2005, he had a record of 7-11. He was sent down to Triple-A for a short period of time as well. In 2006, his last year with the Mariners, he had a record of 8-13. In August, he was sent to the bullpen. The Mariners didn’t give him a contract for the next season so he became a free agent where he signed with the Boston Red Sox.

Ryan Franklin made his Mariners debut in 1999 as a reliever, where he stayed until 2003 when he became a starter. It was his best season as a starter. He had a record of 11-13 with 32 starts and an ERA of 3.57. He started 30 and 32 games the next two years, but had losing records both years. He signed a free agent contract with Philadelphia Phillies going into the 2006 season. For the remainder of his career, he pitched out of the bullpen.

Gil Meche, whom the Mariners drafted in the first round in 1996, made his debut in 1999 but didn’t become a regular starter until 2002. He was in the rotation for four seasons. Three of his four seasons, he had winning records, though his ERA was above four.

He never became the pitcher the Mariners were hoping for. Meche signed with the Royals in 2007.