Being a Mariners fan is like this: You order an expensive cocktail and they hand you a can of Rainier. You didn't get what you paid for, but it's still cold and recognizable.
You know the score if you've been watching this team for any period. The peaks are sublime, the troughs are brutal, and the intervals in between? Lots of head-shaking, pacing, and questioning why you're still emotionally invested. But somehow, you are. Despite all their transgressions, the Seattle Mariners possess a weird, quirky, and furious history that's impossible not to be invested in, at least a little. Some might even say it is worth joining a 1 dollar deposit casino for the team, just to be able to place a bet on their games. Let’s rewind a bit.
From Pilots to Mariners: Seattle’s bumpy entry into baseball
Seattle’s original baseball team was the Pilots. You’d be forgiven for not knowing that, because they only lasted one season in 1969. They showed up, burned through money like confetti, and peaced out to Milwaukee, where they became the Brewers. It was a disaster, but Seattle wasn’t done.
Fast-forward to 1977. Major League Baseball let the city off the hook a second time through a lawsuit and some stubborn civic pride, and the Mariners were born. They played in the Kingdome, a concrete, echo-prone flying saucer that doubled as a multistory parking garage and a baseball stadium. It was odd. It wasn't pleasant. It was home.
And the team? Well, they were awful for many, many years. Seattle didn't experience a single winning season until 1991. That's 14 years of just existing. Fans stuck around anyway, maybe because they hoped or were in the habit. Whatever the reason, the enthusiasm was there—even if the wins weren't.
The '90s: Finally, a pulse
And then there was Griffey. Ken Griffey Jr. came to Seattle like a gift from the baseball deities. Backwards cap, smooth stroke, impossible catch - everything. To see him was to feel jazz on the field. It is not about the stats, though they defied reason, but how he achieved them. Uncool on purpose. Effortless.
And he wasn't alone. Edgar Martinez, arguably the greatest designated hitter in baseball history, hit like a metronome and had ice in his veins. Randy Johnson, the mullet-wearing, hard-throwing lefty. Jay Buhner, the crowd pleaser with a cannon for an arm and a gruff demeanor to match. They were lovable, intense, and, at last, good.
In 1995, Seattle achieved what seemed like a miracle. They were 13 games behind first place in August, staged a furious comeback, and captured the AL West in a one-game playoff. Then, in the Division Series, they defeated the Yankees on Edgar's mythical double, scoring Griffey from first base. The Kingdome exploded. Seattle baseball was alive.
That playoff run didn't just put the Mariners on the national stage; it basically salvaged baseball in Seattle. The team had been losing big time, and there were rumors of moving it. That October push clinched it, though: The team received a new stadium, and a new crop of fans was in.
2001: The high that still haunts us
Oh, yeah, 2001. The year it was all working. until everything went to crap, they won 116 games that year. Let that sink in. One hundred and sixteen. That set the all-time mark for most wins in a season. They had Ichiro, who defected from Japan, hit everything that moved, and ran like a deer. He was Rookie of the Year and MVP. Mike Cameron, Bret Boone, and Freddy Garcia, the offense was stacked, and they played as if they thought they were unstoppable.
Then the playoffs came. And poof - vanished. The Yankees swept them in the ALCS in five games. It was like climbing Everest, taking a picture at the top, and then being shoved off the mountain. Agony doesn't even come close to describing it. To this day, the 2001 Mariners are the only team in baseball history to win 116 games and not appear in the World Series.
Two decades in the wilderness
What ensued was a whole lot of nothing. Like, historic-level nothing. Between 2002 and 2021, the Mariners failed to make the playoffs yearly. That's 21 years. The longest drought in North American pro sports at the time. There were years when they came close, years when they were mathematically out by August, and years when you tuned out halfway through the season because it was too sad to watch.
Meanwhile, there was Felix Hernandez. King Felix. He was owed better. The guy gave the Mariners everything, Cy Young stuff, a perfect game, and outright mastery on the mound. And the team gave back next to nothing. He never pitched in a playoff game once. Not once. Fans lingered. Perhaps out of devotion, probably because Seattle doesn't do bandwagons. Possibly because baseball's a long game, and so is fandom.
Finally - a turn
They did not go far; the Astros swept them, but people were not upset for once. The curse had been broken. The drought was over. Hope was back again.
So, what now?
Now? It's a bit mixed. The Seattle Mariners are still discovering. The front office has made some good decisions and some head-scratchers. The lineup needs a bit more power. The pitching is solid. Julio's a star. The pieces are there, but Mariners fans are wise enough not to get their hopes up.
Because in Seattle, you learn to appreciate the ride, not the destination. You cherish the little victories, the random Tuesday stroll-offs, the one-hitters, and the hope of "maybe next year." And you do it all while cracking a beer under the roof at T-Mobile Park, soaking in a summer's night and cursing under your breath, "Why do I still care so much?"
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