 History
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 1999-Present
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| 1999 |
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The Mariners began a new chapter in club history closing out a 22 1/2 year run in the Kingdome on June 27 and opening their new open-air ballpark SAFECO Field on July 15. Lou Piniella became the 14th manager to earn both 1000 wins as a manager and 1000-ML hits as a player. Ken Griffey Jr. earned his ninth Gold Glove and his seventh Silver Slugger. Alex Rodriguez tallied his third Silver Slugger and rookie pitcher Freddy Garcia served up a club rookie record 17 wins (4.07 ERA). Seattle finished third in the AL at 70-83. 1999 stats > |
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| 2000 |
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 | John Olerud on his way to first base.
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Boasting a fresh roster, featuring pitchers Aaron Sele and Kazuhiro Sasaki, outfielder Mike Cameron and first baseman John Olerud, the Seattle Mariners embarked on the first full season at SAFECO Field. Returning to the playoffs, Seattle captured a wild card berth, swept the Chicago White Sox in the AL Division Series and pushed the Yankees to six games in the ALCS. Japanese closer Kazuhiro Sasaki was named Rookie of the Year, John Olerud earned a Gold Glove and Alex Rodriguez collected his fourth Silver Slugger Award. 2000 stats > |
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| 2001 |
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With a virtually unknown outfielder from Japan named Ichiro Suzuki joining the team, the Seattle Mariners opened the 2001 season as prohibitive underdogs to the defending division champion Oakland Athletics. Ichiro became an instant hit with his bat and strong throwing arm, second-time-around Mariner Bret Boone had the best season by a second baseman in American League history and the Mariners won an AL record 116 games in a truly remarkable season. Veteran left-hander Jamie Moyer became the franchise's second 20-game winner, but wasn't one of the eight Mariners selected to the AL All-Star team. Freddy Garcia was the starter and winner of the Midsummer Classic played at SAFECO Field and reliever Kazuhiro Sasaki collected the save. The Mariners captured their third AL West title, fought back from the brink of elimination in the best-of-five Division Series against the Cleveland Indians, advancing to the AL Championship Series, falling in five games to the New York Yankees. Ichiro missed by one vote of being a unanimous Rookie of the Year selection but made up for that by being named as the league's Most Valuable Player. Lou Piniella was voted the AL Manager of the Year and General Manager Pat Gillick the Executive of the Year. 2001 stats > |
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| 2002 |
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The Mariners won 93 games in 2002, the second-best total in club history. The 93 victories also made it 300 for the club over its last three seasons (91 wins in 2000; 116 wins in 2001), just the 16th time that has been accomplished in Major League history. More history was made May 2 in Chicago when Mike Cameron and Bret Boone became the first duo to hit back-to-back home runs twice in one inning. Cameron finished the game with a record-tying four home runs, becoming just the 13th Major Leaguer to accomplish the feat. The fans in the Pacific Northwest turned out in record numbers as SAFECO Field drew a Major League-best 3,540,482 fans, setting a new franchise mark. First baseman John Olerud won his third consecutive Gold Glove while second baseman Bret Boone and outfielder Ichiro Suzuki each won his second straight. 2002 stats > |
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| 2003 |
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The highlight of the Mariners' 2003 season was having the five-man starting rotation start and finish the season as a group. Right-handers Freddy Garcia, Joel Pineiro, Gil Meche and Ryan Franklin, along with left-hander Jamie Moyer, were the first five-some since the 1966 Dodgers to start all 162 regular-season games. Moyer, who in 2001 became the oldest pitcher in MLB history to reach the 20-win plateau for the first time his career, did it again in '03 and went one better. He finished the season with a 21-7 record and earned his first All-Star Game appearance. Meche landed the AL Comeback Player of the Year Award, becoming the first pitcher since Whitey Ford in 1954 to win at least 15 games after not winning any games the previous two seasons. Second baseman Bret Boone led the team in home runs (35) and RBIs (117). The Mariners led the AL West (134 days) longer than anyone in the division and won 93 games for the second consecutive season. But they couldn't hold off the Athletics and fell two games short of the AL Wild Card playoff berth. 2003 stats >
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| 2004 |
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Ichiro Suzuki made history again in 2004 by breaking a record that lasted 84 years. But, unlike his breakthrough season in 2001, this time his exploits were lonely highlights for the Mariners. Ichiro passed the single-season record for hits set by George Sisler in 1920 with his 257th and finished with 262 while claiming the American League batting title with a .372 average. The Mariners as a club struggled, falling swiftly down to the AL West cellar with a 53-99 record. While Ichiro chased the hits record, all-time Mariners great Edgar Martinez played his last games in a Seattle uniform, capping it all off with a special season-ending weekend in his honor. Following the season, the club dismissed second-year manager Bob Melvin and replaced him with longtime American League skipper Mike Hargrove. 2004 stats >
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| 2005 |
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The Seattle Mariners struggled through their second consecutive 90-loss season as they finished 69-93. After going 12-12 in April, the Mariners stumbled to a 9-18 mark in May and never recovered, posting losing months in June, July and August. Lack of offense plagued the Mariners in 2005, as they ranked last in the American League in hitting (.256) and second-to-last in runs (699). Ichiro Suzuki became the first player in Major League history to begin his career with five straight 200-hit seasons and rookie right-hander Felix Hernandez dazzled in his debut to highlight the Mariners' campaign. Richie Sexson turned in a huge season at the plate with 39 homers and 121 RBIs. In 12 starts, Hernandez posted a 4-4 record with a 2.67 ERA. Jamie Moyer led the club with 13 wins. The Mariners were busy in the offseason, signing lefty Jarrod Washburn to bolster the starting rotation and adding Carl Everett, Matt Lawton and Kenji Johjima (the first catcher from Japan to sign with a Major League organization) to shore up the offense and defense. 2005 stats > |
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| 2006 |
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The future ace of the starting rotation emerged during right-hander Felix Hernandez’s first full big-league season. The only teenager in the Major Leagues when the season began, King Felix led the team in home ERA (3.47) and finished sixth in the AL in strikeouts with 176. Right fielder-turned-center fielder Ichiro Suzuki reached the 200-hit plateau for the sixth consecutive season, the first player to do that in his first six seasons in MLB history. 2006 stats >
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