Seattle Mariners: History of Starting Pitchers, Part 2

OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 20: Felix Hernandez #34 of the Seattle Mariners stands by the dugout before their game against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on April 20, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 20: Felix Hernandez #34 of the Seattle Mariners stands by the dugout before their game against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on April 20, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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The Rest of 2000s Filler

CHICAGO – APRIL 29: Starting pitcher Erik Bedard #45 of the Seattle Mariners delivers the ball against the Chicago White Sox on April 29, 2009 at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO – APRIL 29: Starting pitcher Erik Bedard #45 of the Seattle Mariners delivers the ball against the Chicago White Sox on April 29, 2009 at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

On December 14, 2006, the Mariners signed Miguel Batista as a free agent to bolster their starting rotation. In 2007, he had a good season, going 16-11 with an ERA of 4.29, starting 32 games. He was with the Mariners in 2008 and 2009 as well, but spent much of the time in the bullpen since he was struggling on the mound in starts. He became a free agent after the 2009 season and signed with the Washington Nationals. He never became a regular starter again.

On February 8, 2008, the Mariners acquired pitcher Erik Bedard from the Baltimore Orioles for outfielder Adam Jones, Chris Tillman, and George Sherrill. Fans were not happy about this trade, especially when Bedard pitched only three seasons along with the Mariners.

Manager John McLaren announced Bedard would be the Opening Day pitcher instead of  Felix Hernandez in 2008. Until this season Felix was the Opening Day starter every season after 2008 until Marco Gonzales did this year.

Bedard started 2008, going 6-4 with an ERA of 3.67, making 15 starts until he was injured with a stiff left shoulder on July 10. He ended up missing the rest of the season. In 2009, Bedard pitched only 15 games again for the Mariners then missed the rest of the season again.

The next year, Bedard didn’t pitch at all for the Mariners. He returned in 2011 where he pitched in 16 games going 4-7. The Mariners traded Bedard in a three-team transaction to the Boston Red Sox.

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The 2010 Mariners’ pitching staff featured Felix Hernandez, Jason Vargas, Doug Fister, Luke French, Ryan Rowland-Smith, David Pauley, and Cliff Lee.

Only Felix and Lee finished with a winning record that year, going 13-12 and 8-3 respectively. Rowland-Smith had the worst at 1-9. Lee was traded to the Rangers before the deadline that year.

Vargas, who the Mariners had picked up from the New York Mets, had only one winning season on the ball club, which was his last season in 2012. He had a record of 14-11 with an ERA of 3.85 in 33 starts. The Mariners traded Vargas to the Los Angeles Angeles on December 19, 2013, for Kendrys Morales.

Fister made his debut with the Mariners in 2009, making 10 starts. He was with Seattle until the trade deadline in 2011 when he was traded to the Detroit Tigers. He had a record of 3-12 but his ERA was 3.33. The Mariners had a record of 67-95.