MLB Top 5: Seattle Mariners Pitchers

By Kevin Rakas

This is the fifth and final article in a series that looks at the five best players at each position for the Seattle Mariners. In this installment are right- and left-handed starters as well as relief pitchers.

The Seattle Mariners boast five terrific starters who could keep them in any game. The group includes two Cy Young Award winners at the top, plus a long-tenured crafty lefty. Closer has been a more difficult role to fill. The team has had 28 in 48 years of existence and no pitcher has been the primary source of saves for more than four years. Topping that are a Japanese import who was derailed by off-field issues and a late 2010s star who is now one of the most popular players in New York.

The best Pitchers in Seattle Mariners History

Right-Handed Starters

Honorable Mentions – Jim Beattie is a Virginia native who was drafted by the Yankees in 1975 and spent the first two years of his career with New York. After a trade to the Mariners, he played the final seven years in the Pacific Northwest (1980-86). Despite reaching double figures in wins twice, Beattie had arguably his best season in 1982, when he went 8-12 with a 3.34 earned run average and a career-high 140 strikeouts. His career went downhill after tearing his rotator cuff in 1985, and he went 0-6 the following year, finishing his time in Seattle with a 43-72 record, a 4.14 ERA, 30 complete games, six shutouts and 563 strikeouts in 944 2/3 innings. Following his playing days, Beattie worked for the Mariners as a player development director, was general manager with the Orioles and Expos, served as a bullpen coach for the Marlins and a scout for the Blue Jays and was the Director of the Special Olympics Winter Games in New Hampshire.

While Chris Bosio may best be known for his seven-year stint with the Brewers, the 1982 second round pick had his greatest moment with the Mariners. After posting four seasons with double-digit victories, he signed with Seattle before the 1993 season and pitched the second no-hitter in team history in late April against Boston. A little more than a month later, Bosio broke his collarbone during a bench-clearing brawl in an early June contest against the Orioles (to add insult to injury, he was also suspended). He posted double-digit victories for the only time with the Mariners with a 10-8 mark in 1995, and he finished his four-year run in Seattle (1993-96) with a 27-31 mark and seven complete games. Bosio was a major and minor league pitching coach for several organizations for nearly two decades until he was fired by the Tigers for making insensitive comments about a player in 2018.

Aaron Sele was born in Minnesota and played his high school ball in Washington State. He was a first-round pick of the Red Sox and had his best seasons with Texas before signing with Seattle in 2000 after a deal with Baltimore fell through. Sele went 17-10 and became the first Mariners right-hander to make the All-Star team in his first season, then went 15-5 with a 3.50 earned run average for a squad that tied a record with 116 wins. He spent the next three years with the Angeles before returning to the Mariners and going 5-12 in 2005. Sele finished his career with one season each with the Dodgers and Mets, then spent a decade with Las Angeles as a minor league pitching instructor and player personnel assistant before becoming a scout for Miami and a baseball operations employee with the Cubs. With Seattle, he went 38-26 in the regular season and 0-4 in the playoffs. Adding his two losses with the Rangers, Sele has the most postseason losses of any pitcher in major league history without a win.

Joel Piñeiro had a promising start to his career, going 37-20 over his first four seasons. Although he did not earn an All-Star selection, he went 14-7 with a 3.24 earned run average in 2002 and followed that with a 16-11 mark, a career-best 151 strikeouts and a league-leading two shutouts. The Puerto Rican native started going downhill after suffering a strained right elbow in 2005, and he finished his seven year-Seattle tenure (2000-06) with a 58-55 record, a 4.48 ERA and 658 strikeouts in 996 innings. He also gave up one run in two innings against the Yankees in the 2001 ALCS in his only postseason appearance with the Mariners. Piñeiro spent time with the Red Sox and had decent years with the Cardinals and Angels before his last major league appearance in 2011. He had minor league runs with five teams before his final release in 2015.

Gil Meche is a Louisiana native who was selected by the Mariners in the first round in 1996. After three minor league seasons, he made his debut, going 8-4 as a rookie. However, he missed part of the next year, the entire 2001 campaign and most of 2002 after undergoing two surgeries to fix his rotator cuff and AC joint. After a minor league stint, Meche finally returned in 2003 and put together his best season in a Mariners uniform, going a career-best 15-13 with 130 strikeouts. He reached double figures in victories twice more with Seattle, ending his six-year tenure (1999-2000, 03-06) with a 55-44 record, a 4.65 earned run average and 575 strikeouts in 815 1/3 innings. Meche had two solid seasons with Kansas City, including his only All-Star selection in 2007 and a 14-11 record the following year. However, he was becoming more injury-prone and walked away after the 2010 season.

Michael Pineda signed with the Mariners as a free agent in 2005 and spent six seasons in the minor leagues before making his debut in as a 22-year-old in 2011. He made the most of his opportunity, using a stellar fastball and slider to earn an All-Star selection and finish fifth in the Rookie of the Year voting after going 9-10 with a 3.74 earned run average and striking out more than a batter an inning (173 in 171 frames). Following the season, the native of the Dominican Republic was traded to the Yankees, but tendinitis in his shoulder turned into a labral tear, requiring surgery. He missed the entire 2012 season and half of the following year, finishing 2013 at Triple-A. Pineda won 31 games in four seasons with New York, then tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, causing him to have Tommy John surgery and miss the 2018 campaign. He went 11-5 with the Twins in 2019 but won just 13 games since and hasn’t pitched since 2022 with the Tigers.

While Kevin Millwood is best known for his six-year run with the Braves during their string of National League East titles, he also spent time with six other teams during his 16-year career. The final of those seasons came with the Mariners in 2012. Although his 6-12 record and 4.25 earned run average did not remind anyone of his Atlanta days, he will be remembered by Seattle fans for one masterful start in early June. Against the Dodgers, Millwood threw six no-hit innings on just 68 pitches before a groin injury forced him out of the game. Three relievers each pitched a hitless inning to complete the first combined no-hitter in franchise history. The gem was the second no-hitter with which Millwood was involved, as he had pitched one by himself for the Phillies against the Giants in 2003. The veteran finished his career with a 169-152 record, a 4.11 earned run average and 2,083 strikeouts in 2,720 1/3 innings.

Logan Gilbert is a Florida native who was a first-round pick of the Mariners in 2018. He didn’t pitch that year after contracting mononucleosis and sat out the entire COVID-shortened 2020 season before making his big-league debut the following year. Gilbert won 13 games in each of the following two seasons and pitched eight solid innings in the late-season contest in 2022 which the Mariners won in walk-off fashion to clinch their first playoff berth in 21 years. His strikeout total has climbed in each of his first four seasons, topping 200 in 2024. Gilbert also was selected to the All-Star Game in that season but did not pitch.

George Kirby was originally drafted by the Mets out of high school in 2016 but did not sign. He was selected by the Mariners in the first round three years later and, after two minor league seasons (and a canceled 2020 campaign due to the COVID pandemic), he made his debut. Kirby went 8-5 and got Rookie of the Year consideration after striking out more than a batter per inning. He improved in 2023, making his first All-Star team after posting a 13-10 record, a 3.35 earned run average and 172 strikeouts in 190 2/3 innings while walking just 19. Using a four-seam fastball, sinker and slider, Kirby has continued to impress in 2024, heading into the final week of the regular season with 13 wins and a career-best strikeout total.

Luis Castillo is a native of the Dominican Republic who signed with the Giants in 2011 and spent time in the Marlins’ system before being traded to the Reds in 2017. He got a reputation as a power pitcher with a top-notch changeup, earning his first All-Star selection after posting career highs with a 15-8 record and 226 strikeouts in 2019. Castillo was a bad luck pitcher two years later, leading the league with 16 losses despite posting a 3.98 earned run average and striking out 192 batters. He was selected to another All-Star Game in 2022 before being sent to the Mariners at the trade deadline. “La Piedra” (“The Rock”) defeated the Blue Jays in the Wild Card round before losing his only start against the eventual champion Astros in the Division Series. He earned a third selection to the Midsummer Classic after going 14-9 with a 3.34 ERA and 2019 strikeouts in 2023, and he struck out a batter an inning in the following season before missing nearly the final month with a hamstring strain.

5. Erik Hanson – The New Jersey native was drafted by the Mariners in the second round in 1986 and spent his first six major league seasons in Seattle. Hanson was solid through the first four of those years and posted his best season in 1990, when he set career highs with an 18-9 record, 236 innings and 211 strikeouts. His earned run average jumped more than a run to 4.82 two years later, and he led the American League with 17 losses. Hanson returned with an 11-12 record and a personal-best seven complete games in 1993 and finished his Mariners career (1988-93) ranked fifth in ERA (3.69), seventh in strikeouts (740), eighth in innings (967 1/3), tied for eighth in complete games (21) and tenth in wins (56-54). He played one season with the Reds in 1994, earned his lone All-Star selection and playoff experience the following year with the Red Sox and spent his final three seasons with the Blue Jays. Following his retirement, Hanson gave back to his high school with a donation to remodel the athletic facilities.

4. Mike Moore – He was taken by the Mariners with the first overall selection in the 1981 draft, but he was inconsistent throughout his seven seasons (1982-88) with the struggling franchise. Moore was known as a workhorse, throwing at least 200 innings in five straight seasons. His best campaign with Seattle came in 1985, when he went 17-10 with a 3.46 earned run average, a career-high 14 complete games (which also tied a team record) and 155 strikeouts. The following year, he set a franchise mark (and led the league) with 37 starts and was second in team history with 266 innings. Moore fell off the next two years, posting losing records both times and leading the league with 19 losses in 1987 despite striking out a career-best 182 batters. He finished his time in Seattle as the all-time franchise leader with 56 complete games, and he is tied for third in shutouts (nine), fourth in starts (217) and innings (1,457), fifth in strikeouts (937) and sixth in wins (66-96). Moore had a career year with Oakland in 1989, earning his only All-Star selection and finishing third in the Cy Young Award voting after going 19-11 with a 2.61 earned run average, then going 2-0 to help the Athletics win the World Series. He pitched three more seasons with Oakland and three with Detroit, ending his career in 1995 with a 161-176 record.

3. Hisashi Iwakuma – The Japan-born hurler started his career with 12 seasons in his home country, going 107-69 and earning three All-Star selections and two Best Nine Awards. Iwakuma had his best campaign in 2008, when he was named Pacific League MVP and won the Sawamura Award (Japan’s version of the Cy Young Award) after going 21-3 with a 1.87 earned run average. He signed with the Mariners before the 2012 season and split the season between starting and the bullpen. Iwakuma earned his lone major league All-Star selection and finished third in the Cy Young voting the following year after going 14-6 and setting career highs with a 2.66 earned run average and 185 strikeouts. He won 15 games the following year and overcame a back injury to throw a no-hitter against the Orioles in August 2015. Iwakuma set a high for his major league career with 16 wins in 2016 but missed most of the next season with a shoulder injury. He pitched just two minor league games in 2018 and returned to Japan the following year. Iwakuma used his fastball, splitter and slider to post a 3.42 ERA (tied for the franchise record) and rank seventh in wins (63-39) and eighth in strikeouts (714) in 883 2/3 innings over six seasons (2012-17). He finished his career with two appearances with the Yomiuri Giants in 2019 and retired after the following season.

2. Freddy Garcia – The Venezuela native began his career as a hard-thrower with the Astros before he was traded to the Mariners in the deal for the tall flamethrower at the top of the lefty list. He made his major league debut with Seattle in 1999, going 17-8 and striking out 170 batters to finished as the Rookie of the Year runner-up. Like many Mariners, he had a stellar season in 2001. Seattle tied a record with 116 wins that season, and Garcia had 18 of them while also leading the league with a 3.05 earned run average and 238 2/3 innings, earning his first All-Star selection and placing third in the Cy Young voting. He followed that with a 15-10 record, 181 strikeouts and another All-Star nomination in 2002. Two years later, Garcia was traded to the White Sox, finishing his Mariners career ranked fourth in franchise history in wins (76-50, including four seasons in double figures), sixth in starts (169), innings (1,096 1/3) and strikeouts (819) and eighth in ERA (3.89) to go with nine complete games and four shutouts. In the postseason, he made six starts, going 3-2 with 32 strikeouts in 34 innings. “The Chief” won a title with Chicago in 2005 and became a journeyman after losing velocity. Throughout his final nine seasons, he played for six teams in the majors then spent time in China and Mexico before officially retiring after the 2018 season. When he played his final major league season in 2013, he amassed 156 wins, the most ever by a Venezuelan-born player until he was passed by the next person on this list.

1. Felix Hernandez – He was spotted by a Mariners scout as a teenager and signed with the club in 2002. After two minor league seasons (and an appearance in the 2004 MLB All-Star Futures Game), Hernandez made his debut in 2005 as a 19-year-old. For the next 15 seasons (2005-19), he stymied hitters with a six-pitch repertoire that included a fantastic sinker and changeup, and he was adept at striking batters out and inducing ground balls. After mixed results his first three seasons, he took off in 2009, leading the league and setting a career-high with 19 wins, striking out 217 batters and posting a 2.49 earned run average to earn his first All-Star selection and finish as the Cy Young runner-up. Hernandez won the award the following season, although his statistics were a bit different. He was only able to amass a 13-12 record, and 10 of his losses came when the Mariners either scored one run or were shut out. However, Hernandez struck out 232 batters and led the league with a 2.27 ERA (second in team history) and 249 2/3 innings, allowing him to turn the voters in his favor.

Starting with his Cy Young season, “King Felix” ran off eight straight campaigns with double digit victories, and he reached the mark 10 times overall. He also topped 200 innings eight times, earned six All-Star selections and struck out at least 200 batters on six occasions. Hernandez had his greatest moment as a player in August 2012, when he threw a 1-0 gem against the Rays for the first perfect game in Mariners history and the 23rd overall in the major leagues. He won 13 games, led the league and set a franchise record with five shutouts, and he was signed to a huge contract extension before the following season. Hernandez had another stellar campaign in 2014, finishing second in the Cy Young race after going 15-6, striking out a personal-best 248 batters in 236 innings and posting a league-leading and franchise-record 2.14 ERA. Although he went 18-9 and made his final All-Star team the next year, his ERA jumped and he failed to reach 200 strikeouts, two trends that would continue throughout the rest of his career and would be made worse by arm issues.

Hernandez spent his entire major league career with the Mariners, pitching his final game in 2019, and he is the all-time franchise leader in wins (169-136), starts (418), innings (2,729 2/3), strikeouts (2,524) and Opening Day starts (10), and he is tied at the top in ERA (3.42). He also ranks second in appearances (419) and shutouts (11) and sits sixth in complete games (25). Hernandez signed a minor-league deal with the Braves in 2020 but opted out due to COVID concerns and left the Orioles at the end of spring training the following year. All of his accolades made him an easy selection for the Mariners Hall of Fame in August 2023, and he has a solid case for the Baseball Hall of Fame when he is on the ballot for the first time in 2025 along with longtime Seattle star, Ichiro Suzuki.

Left-Handed Starters

Honorable Mentions – Rick Honeycutt is a Tennessee native who was drafted by the Pirates in 1976 and traded to the expansion Mariners the following season. He spent his first four seasons with Seattle (1977-80), using his control earn an All-Star selection in his final campaign despite a 10-17 record. Honeycutt went 26-41 overall and tied for eighth in franchise history with 21 complete games before he was sent to the Rangers in an 11-player trade. He was named to his second All-Star team and led the American League in earned run average in the 1983 season despite a trade to the Dodgers. His other highlights included a rain-shortened one-hitter with Los Angeles the following year and being a part of a stellar Athletics bullpen that went to the World Series three straight years, winning in 1989. Honeycutt won 109 games in 21 seasons, then spent 14 as Dodgers pitching coach before a back injury forced him into the front office.

Matt Young is a Southern California native who was drafted by the Red Sox in 1978 but chose to go to UCLA for two years and sign with the Mariners after they took him in the second round. After three seasons in the minor leagues, he won 11 games, posted a career-best 3.27 earned run average and made the All-Star team as a rookie in 1983. Young dealt with back and knee issues and spent two more seasons as a starter, throwing five complete games and two shutouts while leading the league with 19 losses in 1985, before he was converted to the bullpen. He was sent to the Dodgers and the Athletics over the next two years but missed the entire 1988 season thanks to Tommy John surgery. Young joined Honeycutt on Oakland’s 1989 championship team, threw a no-hitter for the Red Sox in April 1992 and lost and finished his major league career with the Indians the following year, also getting a brief minor league stint with the Blue Jays after he was released. He coached youth baseball and worked in real estate after his playing career.

Dave Fleming was a third-round pick of the Mariners in 1990 and spent all but nine games of his five-year career with Seattle (1991-95). He finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting in 1992 after setting career highs with a 17-10 record, a 3.39 earned run average, seven complete games, four shutouts, 112 strikeouts and 228 1/3 innings. Fleming went 12-5 the next year before arm issues marred what could have been a promising career. He ended his Mariners tenure with a 38-31 record and finished his career with the Royals in 1995. After his playing days, he earned a master’s degree and became a fifth-grade teacher in Connecticut.

Marco Gonzales is a Colorado native who was a Cardinals draft pick and had the early part of his career set back by Tommy John surgery. He was traded to the Mariners in 2017 and became a solid starter throughout his seven seasons in Seattle (2017-23). Gonzales went 13-9 in his first full season with his new club and improved in 2019, setting career highs with 16 wins, 203 innings and 147 strikeouts and becoming the first pitcher other than Hernandez to start on Opening Day in a decade. Despite a respectable showing in 2022, he led the league with 15 losses, and elbow issues limited him to 10 starts the following year. Gonzales was traded to the Pirates in 2024 and finished his Mariners career tied for seventh in franchise history in starts (148) and ranked eighth in wins (61-47) and tenth in strikeouts (631) in 852 1/3 innings. He made just seven starts in Pittsburgh and will undergo surgery after the season.

Like many other Japanese stars, Yusei Kikuchi started his career in his home country, earning three All-Star selections and posting a 73-46 record in eight seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball. His best season was 2017, when he led the league with 16 wins and a 1.97 earned run average and won a gold glove. Kikuchi signed with the Mariners in 2019 but struggled his first two years. He made his only All-Star team to date in 2021 after going 7-9 with 163 strikeouts in 157 innings. Kikuchi signed with the Blue Jays the following year and was traded to the Astros during the 2024 season, where he has gone 5-0 in nine starts.

Robbie Ray was selected by the Nationals in 2010, spent one season with the Tigers after a 2014 trade and made his mark with the Diamondbacks after being acquired in a three-team trade. During six seasons in Arizona, he topped 200 strikeouts three times, reached double digit wins twice and made the All-Star team after going 15-5 in 2017. Ray was traded to the Blue Jays during the COVID-shortened 2020 season and won the Cy Young Award the following year thanks to a 13-7 record and leading the league with a 2.84 earned run average, 193 1/3 innings and 248 strikeouts, which were all career-bests. He used the campaign to sign a big contract with the Mariners in 2022 and responded with a 12-12 mark and 212 strikeouts. Ray made just one start the next year before tearing his flexor tendon, an injury that required Tommy John surgery and ended his season. He was traded to the Giants in 2024.

5. Floyd Bannister – The South Dakota native was taken by the Astros with the first pick in the 1976 draft. After two seasons, Bannister was traded to the Mariners and quickly became a workhorse for the young team. Despite having a losing record in four seasons with Seattle (1979-82), he went over the 200-inning mark and registered double-digit win totals twice each. His best season was 1982, when he used his fastball-slide-curve combination to earn his only All-Star selection after posting a 12-13 record and leading the league with 209 strikeouts in a career-high 247 innings. Bannister signed with the White Sox the following year, finishing his Mariners tenure ranked fifth in shutouts (seven) and seventh in earned run average (3.75) and complete games (24) to go with a 40-50 record and 564 strikeouts in 768 1/3 innings. He spent five seasons with Chicago and two more with Kansas City before going to Japan in 1990. Bannister returned for one year each with the Angels and Rangers and retired in 1992, then was a trainer and real estate investor in Arizona.

4. James Paxton – He was born in British Columbia and attended the University of Kentucky. Paxton was involved with a bit of a scandal after he was drafted by the Blue Jays following his junior season. He wanted to go back and play his final season with the Wildcats, but Toronto executives negotiated with his agent, making him ineligible. After losing a lawsuit against the NCAA, Paxton withdrew before his last semester and pitched for an independent team. He was drafted by the Mariners and joined the club in 2013. Paxton showed promise, but he was slowed by injuries during his first stint, including back, finger, forearm and pec. The knuckle curve specialist went 12-5 with a career-best 2.98 earned run average in 2017 and had an even better campaign the following year. Paxton posted an 11-6 mark, struck out a career-high 208 batters and threw a no-hitter in Toronto in May, the only of the six in team history that was completed on the road. He spent the next two years with the Yankees, winning a personal-best 15 games in 2019 and returned to the Mariners two years later, making one start before straining his left forearm, which would need Tommy John surgery. “Big Maple” is tied atop the all-time franchise list with a 3.42 ERA to go with a 41-26 record and 619 strikeouts in 583 2/3 innings over 103 starts. He returned following the injury and had two stints with the Red Sox, with a four-month run with the Dodgers in between.

3. Mark Langston – The San Diego native was selected by Seattle in the second round in 1981, and he burst onto the scene three years later. Langston finishing second in the Rookie of the Year voting (to Mariners teammate Alvin Davis) after going 17-10 with a 3.40 earned run average and a league-leading 204 strikeouts. He dealt with a strained elbow in 1985 but bounced back to top the A. L. in strikeouts the two following years. In 1987, Langston earned his first All-Star selection after posting career highs with 19 wins, 262 strikeouts and 14 complete games. He won 15 more the next year but turned down an extension with the Mariners, leading to a trade to the Expos (also involving the top player on this list) in 1989. Over his six-year Seattle tenure (1984-89), Langston ranks third in franchise history in complete games (41) tied for third in shutouts (nine), fourth in strikeouts (1,078), fifth in wins (74-67), starts (173) and innings (1,197 2/3) and tenth in ERA (4.01). He posted a double-digit win total and registered at least 200 innings and 200 strikeouts four times each, and he also won two gold gloves with the Mariners.

Langston finished the year with the Expos, then earned three All-Star selections and five more gold gloves in eight seasons with the Angels. During his time with California, he pitched a combined no-hitter in his first start in 1990 and started the one-game playoff in 1995, which Seattle won in extra innings to reach the postseason for the first time. Langston played one year each with the Padres and Indians, finishing his 16-year career with 179 wins. The pickoff specialist was a high school coach for two years and currently serves as a radio analyst for the Angels.

2. Jamie Moyer – His lack of a plus fastball almost proved to be his undoing. Over his first six seasons, he was released three times and traded once. Following a season in the minors with the Tigers, he spent three uneventful seasons with the Orioles and split the early part of the 1996 season between starter and reliever with the Red Sox before he was traded to the Mariners. Moyer finally pitched well enough to shed his journeyman label, getting great accuracy with his sinker and stellar changeup, which allowed him to stick around in the Pacific Northwest for 11 seasons (1996-2006). He posted a double-digit win total eight times with Seattle, including seven straight seasons from 1997-2003. While he was not a high strikeout pitcher, Moyer kept hitters off-balance well enough to earned Cy Young consideration three times. In the Mariners’ record-setting 2001 season, he went 20-6 in the regular season and won all three of his starts in the playoffs to help his team reach the ALCS.

Moyer earned the only All-Star selection of his storied career in 2003, when he set a career high and a franchise mark with a 21-7 record and posted a career-best 3.27 earned run average. The Mariners began to drop in the standings, and he was traded to the Phillies in 2006, finishing his tenure ranked second in franchise history in wins (145-87), starts (323) and innings (2,093), third in strikeouts (1,239), fourth in appearances (324), tied for sixth in shutouts (six), ninth in ERA (3.97) and tenth in complete games (20). Moyer threw at least 200 innings seven times with Seattle, and he is the only Mariners pitcher to win at least 20 games more than once. He spent five seasons with the Phillies, winning his only championship in 2008. Moyer missed the 2011 season after having Tommy John surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow, then amazingly returned at age 49 and became the oldest pitcher in major league to earn a win, which he did twice with the Rockies.

The crafty lefty had brief minor league stints with Baltimore and Toronto and even had a brief dalliance with trying to learn the knuckleball before retiring for good in 2013. He finished his 25-year career with 269 wins, five fielding titles and 2,441 strikeouts. Moyer won the Hutch, Gehrig and Clemente awards in 2003 and took home the Branch Rickey Award the following year. One problem with longevity is that you also have plenty of chances to give up runs, with his 522 home runs allowed being the most in major league history. Moyer spent two seasons as a broadcaster with the Phillies, and he and his wife started Eluna, an organization designed to help children who were in distress due to grief or addiction. He made his debut in the Baseball Hall of Fame election in 2018 but received just 10 votes and fell off the ballot.

1. Randy Johnson – He began his career as a second-round pick of the Expos in 1985 and ended it quarter of a century later as arguably the greatest left-handed pitcher in baseball history. For years, he held the distinction of being the tallest player in major league history (6-foot-10) until Jon Rauch (6-foot-11) began his career with the White Sox in 2002 (the pair played together with the Diamondbacks in 2008). Johnson was underwhelming in two seasons with Montreal, but his career took off after a trade to Seattle in 1989. Despite early control issues (he led the league in walks three straight years), he earned his first All-Star selection in 1990 and posted a 14-11 record. On June 2 of that season, Johnson showed his amazing potential pitching the first no-hitter in Mariners history with a 2-0 blanking of the Tigers. He eventually fixed his control issues with a three-quarter delivery and complemented a blazing fastball with a splitter, a sinker and a late-breaking slider that he called “Mr. Snappy.” In 1991, he broke the 200-strikeout mark for the first of seven times with Seattle, and his earned run average continued to drop. Johnson finished as the Cy Young runner-up and returned to the All-Star Game in 1993 after posting a 19-8 record, a 3.24 ERA, 10 complete games and club-record 308 strikeouts.

The “Big Unit” continued his dominant run the following year, topping the A. L. with 204 strikeouts, nine complete games and four shutouts while finishing third in the Cy Young race in the strike-shortened season. The Mariners made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history in 1995, and Johnson was the starter (against Langston, the player he was traded for) in the one-game playoff victory over the Angels that got them to the postseason. He finally broke through and won the Cy Young Award after finishing the year with an 18-2 record to go with league-leading totals of 294 strikeouts (his fourth straight crown) and a 2.48 ERA. Johnson missed most of the 1996 season after having surgery to fix a bulging disk in his back, but he returned to have another fantastic campaign. He went 20-4 (tied for second in team history) with a career-best 2.28 ERA and 291 strikeouts in 213 innings (for a league-leading 12.3 rate) to finish second in the Cy Young voting once again. The big lefty also struck out 19 batters in a game twice during the season, against the Athletics in late June and repeated the feat in early August against the White Sox. Seattle made the postseason for the second time in three years, but Johnson lost both of his starts against Baltimore in the Division Series.

Johnson came into 1998 looking for a contract extension (like had been given to teammates Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez), but the Mariners were worried about his durability. Despite 213 strikeouts in 160 innings, the flamethrower was hittable, amassing only a 9-10 record before he was traded to the Astros. Johnson finished his time in Seattle as the all-time franchise leader in shutouts (19) and was tied atop the list in ERA (3.42). He ranks second in strikeouts (2,162) and complete games (51), third in wins (130-74), starts (266) and innings (1,838 1/3) and tenth in appearances (274). Johnson’s career was far from over, though. He went 10-1 with a 1.28 ERA in 11 starts with Houston but lost both times in the Division series. The “Big Unit” signed with the Diamondbacks in 1999 and put together a four-year stretch for the ages. He won the Cy Young Award and led the league in each season, won three ERA titles and topped the N. L. in complete games three times. In 2001, he went 21-6 with league-leading totals of 372 strikeouts (third-most in the modern era) and a 2.49 ERA. The year also included several memorable moments including the hard-throwing lefty killing a dove with a pitch in spring training, striking out 20 batters in a game against the Reds in May (although he went nine innings and the game went 11, so it did not technically tie the record) and sharing both the MVP and Babe Ruth awards with fellow starter Curt Schilling after the Diamondbacks defeated the Yankees in the 2001 World Series.

The 10-time All-Star won the Pitching Triple Crown in 2002, leading the league with a 24-5 record, 2.32 ERA and 334 strikeouts (along with 260 innings and eight complete games). He spent two more years with the Diamondbacks, throwing a perfect game against the Braves in May 2004, then spent two seasons with the Yankees before returning to Arizona for two more years. Johnson ended his career with the Giants as a 46-year-old in 2009, and he was the second-oldest player in the majors behind Moyer, his former teammate. In 22 seasons, he amassed a 303-166 record, a 3.29 ERA 100 complete games, 37 shutouts and 4,875 strikeouts (second in major league history) in 4,135 1/3 innings. Johnson won five Cy Young Awards, led the league in strikeouts nine times and ERA and complete games four times each. He struck out 10 or more batters in a game 212 times in his career (second to Nolan Ryan‘s 215), and he holds a major league record by fanning 15 or more batters in a game 29 times. Following his playing career, he worked with the USO and helped with veterans affairs, pursued a photography career, made television and commercial appearances (including a voice actor role on The Simpsons) and has finished his ninth season as special assistant to the team president with the Diamondbacks. Johnson was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2015.

Relief Pitchers

Honorable Mentions – Jeff Nelson is a Baltimore product who was drafted by the Dodgers in 1984 before being acquired by the Mariners in the Rule 5 draft two years later. He spent his first four years as a short reliever in Seattle, with his claim to fame being a one-pitch inning in a July 1995 games. He entered with two runners on and got the next Blue Jays batter to hit into a triple play (which he started after letting a pop-up bunt drop). Nelson was traded to the Yankees and won four World Series championships in five seasons before returning to the Mariners as a free agent. He earned his only All-Star selection as part of that stellar 2001 team after posting a 2.76 earned run average and striking out 88 batters in 65 1/3 innings (a 12.1 rate). Nelson was traded back to the Yankees and, after a loss to the Marlins in the World Series, he joined the Rangers in 2004 before returning to the Mariners the following year. In three stints with Seattle (1992-95, 2001-03 and ’05), Nelson went 24-23 with a 3.26 ERA, 23 saves and 471 strikeouts in 447 1/3 innings while making a team-record 432 appearances. The slider specialist pitched six games with the White Sox in 2006 before undergoing a nerve surgery that ended his career (and got him in trouble with Ebay). Nelson has spent his post-playing days as an analyst with the Mariners and Yankees.

Norm Charlton is a Louisiana native who was best known as part of the 1990 Reds three-headed bullpen monster known as the “Nasty Boys.” The former Expos first-round pick joined the Mariners in 1993 and, like Bosio, was one of the ejected players in the brawl against the Orioles in June. He settled down and registered 18 saves and posting a career-best 12.5 strikeout rate (fanning 48 batters in 34 2/3 innings). However, Charlton missed the final two months of the season and all of 1994 after rupturing a tendon in his elbow that required surgery. He signed with Philadelphia the following year but was released and returned to Seattle, posting 15 saves and helping the “Refuse to Lose” Mariners reach the postseason for the first time. “The Sheriff” added 20 more the following year and 14 in 1997, but he was terribly inconsistent, and his earned run average ballooned to 7.27 before he was released. He pitched for four teams over the next three years before joining Seattle for a third stint during the record-tying 2001 season, going 4-2 with a 3.02 ERA. Charlton tried to continue his career but finally retired in 2004 after he experienced shoulder pain following two major surgeries. He finished his five seasons with the Mariners (1993, 95-97 and 2001) with a 14-21 record, a 4.03 ERA, 67 saves (seventh in franchise history) and 282 strikeouts in 275 innings. Charlton spent two years as a bullpen coach with the Mariners in 2007-08.

Brandon League was drafted by the Blue Jays in the second round in 2001 and spent six seasons with Toronto before he was traded to Seattle after the 2009 season. Following a year in a setup role, he took over as the closer, using his hard sinker to earn his only All-Star selection after setting a career high with 37 saves and posting a 2.79 earned run average. League was traded to the Dodgers the following year through his release in 2015. He was out of baseball the next year and spent 2017 with the independent New Britain Bees before retiring and founding his own clothing line.

Tom Wilhelmsen was drafted by the Brewers in 2002 but his journey to the major leagues took a different path. He tested positive twice for marijuana, was suspended for the entire 2004 season and decided to leave the sport for five years to be a bartender in Arizona. Wilhelmsen made a comeback in 2010 and spent the season in the minor leagues before making Seattle’s roster the following year. He took over the closer role in 2012, with one of his 29 saves coming in the last inning of Millwood’s no-hitter against the Dodgers. Wilhelmsen was traded to the Rangers after the 2015 season but came back to the Mariners after he was released the following June, finishing his six-year tenure in Seattle (2011-15 and ’16) ranked sixth in franchise history in saves (68) and seventh in appearances (296) to go with an 11-11 record, a 3.01 earned run average and 311 strikeouts in 337 1/3 innings. He spent 2017 with the Diamondbacks, had failed tryouts with the Brewers and Padres, spent a month in the Mexican League and retired following the 2018 season.

5B David Aardsma – The Colorado native and Penn State grad was drafted by the Giants in the first round in 2003 and jumped from A-ball to the majors the following year. Aardsma spent one year each with San Francisco, both Chicago clubs and Boston before he was traded to Seattle before the 2009 season. He took over the closer role due to injury and had two solid seasons with the Mariners, totaling 69 saves (fifth in franchise history), posting a 2.90 earned run average and striking out 129 batters in 121 innings despite a 3-12 record. Aardsma ended 2010 on the disabled list for an oblique injury, but he later had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip and Tommy John surgery from an elbow strain suffered during his rehab, which cost him the following season. He returned for one season with each of the New York teams and bounced around with five other clubs before his final big-league action with the Braves in 2015. Aardsma spent one season with the independent Long Island Ducks and retired in 2018 to work in Toronto’s front office and serve as an analyst for Sirius XM. His one claim to fame is replacing Hall of Famer Hank Aaron as the top player in major league history alphabetically by surname.

5A Mike Schooler – The Mariners have had 28 primary closers in their 48-year history, and none heled the role for more seasons than Schooler’s four. He was a second-round pick of the Mariners in 1985 and made his debut three years later, quickly becoming Seattle’s closer. Schooler posted at least 30 saves in each of the next two seasons, including 1990, when he had 30 and registered a career-best 2.25 earned run average. Shoulder injuries limited his effectiveness, and he was released after five seasons (1988-92), finishing his Mariners tenure with a 12-29 record, a 3.30 ERA, 232 strikeouts in 267 1/3 innings and 98 saves, which ranks fourth in franchise history. His career came to an end with Texas the following year, and Schooler worked as a gym teacher and high school baseball coach in Southern California after his playing days.

4. Fernando Rodney – The native of the Dominican Republic became one of baseball’s ultimate journeymen after signing with the Tigers in 1997. Rodney was inconsistent in his first two seasons, missed the entire 2004 campaign (Tommy John surgery) and had moderate success as a setup reliever. Following a two-year stint in the same role with the Angels, his career took off after joining the Rays. Using a fantastic fastball-changeup combination, Rodney was an All-Star thanks to a nearly unhittable 0.60 earned run average and 48 saves in 2012. Following another stellar season, he signed with the Mariners, where he earned his second selection to the Midsummer Classic after strikeout out 76 batters in 66 1/3 innings, posting a 2.85 ERA and leading the league with 48 saves, which ranks second in team history. He added 16 more the following year, but his ERA jumped nearly three runs a game, leading to a trade to the Cubs. The move set off a stretch in which Rodney played for eight teams over the final five years of his career. Overall, he played for 11 teams in 17 seasons posted 327 saves and tied a record by saving games for nine of them, ending with the Nationals in 2019 and earning a World Series title in his final campaign. Known for his cap tilt (in honor of his father) and bow-and-arrow celebration, Rodney pitched for an independent team and had a failed tryout with the Astros during the 2020 season, then spent three years in the Mexican league.

3. J. J. Putz – He was a dorm-mate of Tom Brady‘s at Michigan before getting drafted by the Mariners in 1999. He made his debut four years later and took over as closer in 2006 after perfecting the split-fingered fastball. Putz had 36 saves in his first season in the role while posting a 2.30 earned run average and striking out 104 batters in 78 1/3 innings (an 11.9 rate). He was even better in 2007, earning his only All-Star selection (although he nearly blew a save in the game itself) and Rolaids Relief Award thanks to a career-best 1.38 ERA and 40 saves, including a club-record 30 in a row. Putz saw his ERA jump 2½ runs per game the following year and was sent to the Mets in a three-team, 12-player trade, ending his time in Seattle with a 22-15 record, a 3.07 ERA, 337 strikeouts in 323 innings, 101 saves (third in franchise history) and 308 appearances (sixth). He spent one year each in a setup role with the Mets and White Sox and had a resurgence as a closer with the Diamondbacks before ending his playing career in 2014 and taking a job with Arizona as a special assistant.

2. Edwin Diaz – The Puerto Rico native converted from outfield to pitcher and was drafted by the Mariners in the third round in 2012. Diaz played in the 2015 MLB All-Star Futures Game converted to the bullpen the following year and was the closer in Seattle by the end of the 2016 season. He amassed 34 saves the following year and had his best campaign by far in 2018, earning his first All-Star selection (he blew the save but was the winning pitcher) after posting 57 saves, which led the league, set a team record and set a mark for a Puerto Rican player. Diaz also won the Rivera (A. L.) Reliever of the Year Award thanks to a 1.96 earned run average and struck out 124 batters in 73 1/3 innings (a 15.2 rate). In three seasons with the Mariners (2016-18) he went 4-15 with a 2.64 ERA, 301 strikeouts in 191 innings and 109 saves, which is second in team history.

Following the season, Diaz was sent to the Mets in a blockbuster trade that also included All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano. He had a rough first season in New York then returned to form over the next couple years. “Sugar” had a stellar campaign in 2022, earning his second All-Star selection as well as the Hoffman (N. L.) Reliever of the Year Award after notching 32 saves, posting a career-best 1.31 ERA and striking out 118 batters in just 62 innings (for an incredible 17.1 rate) while helping the Mets reach the postseason. Neither Diaz nor his “Narco” entrance music made an appearance in 2023, as the closer suffered a torn patellar tendon in his right knee while celebrating an upset win by his home country against the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. He was solid throughout the 2024 season but received a 10-game suspension for having a sticky substance on his hand during a game in late June.

1. Kazuhiro Sasaki – He began his career playing in his native Japan with the Taiyo Whales and Yokohama BayStars franchise in 1990. In his decade with the club, he saved 229 games and won the Central League MVP Award in 1998, when he posted a fantastic 0.64 earned run average, struck out 78 batters in 56 innings and posted a league-record 45 saves in 46 chances. One of the greatest relievers in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) history came to the U. S. when he signed with the Mariners in late 1999. He began his major league career by winning the Rookie of the Year Award the following season, amassing 37 saves (then a record for first-year players) and posting an 11.2 strikeout rate (fanning 78 batters in 62 2/3 innings), the highest of his career. Using a devastating splitter and a stellar fastball, Sasaki earned All-Star selections in each of the next two seasons, including 2001, when he registered 45 saves to tie his personal best mark for a team that won a record-tying 116 games.

After three seasons with at least 35 saves, Sasaki suffered lower back and rib injuries that limited him to 10 saves and a 4.05 ERA in 2003. He said the injury occurred when carrying a suitcase up a flight of stairs, but it was rumored that he was roughhousing with friends. The incident, along with other off-field issues, left Sasaki without a job after the season, and he went back to Japan, finishing his four years in Seattle (2000-03) with a 7-16 record, a 3.14 ERA, 242 strikeouts in 223 1/3 innings and a club-record 129 saves. He also appeared in eight postseason contests, going 0-1 with four saves and 13 strikeouts in eight innings. Sasaki had a solid season with Yokohama in 2004, but knee and elbow injuries limited him to nine games the following year, and he retired after amassing 381 saves in 16 professional seasons. He was inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.

The next team to be featured is the Tampa Bay Rays.