Seattle Mariners Mount Rushmore
By David Hill
Baseball has a proud history in the Pacific Northwest, and the Seattle Mariners are only a part of that story. Which members of the Mariners make up the team’s Mount Rushmore?
Baseball in the Seattle area has quite the long history, even if the major league side is relatively brief. The Seattle Rainiers were one of the charter members of the Pacific Coast League back in 1903, remaining until they were contracted in 1906. After spending the next dozen years in the Northwest League, they returned to the PCL, joining with the Portland in 1919. The Rainiers, through different names and affiliations, won seven league titles before moving after the 1968 campaign.
The reason for the move was the brief appearance of the Seattle Pilots. They lasted for a single year before going bankrupt, and were purchased by Bud Selig and moved to Milwaukee. The Pilots left an indelible mark in baseball history however, immortalized in Jim Bouton‘s classic book Ball Four.
For a five year period, the Rainiers returned, a part of the Northwest League. Then, in time for the 1977 season, major league baseball returned to the Pacific Northwest, as the Seattle Mariners came into existence. This time, major league baseball would last for more than one season.
It took some time for the Mariners to find their footing. They struggled for most of their first 18 years, until building star studded lineups in the 1990s. Between 1995 and 2001, they made all four of their trips to the postseason, with the 2001 roster winning 116 games. However, they were unable to get to the World Series, leaving the franchise as one of the seven without a World Series championship.
These days, the Mariners are once again looking to find a way back to the postseason. They still have a few stars on the roster, and general manager Jerry Dipoto would trade his own mother if it could bring a playoff berth to Seattle. That stretch of futility may not last much longer.
Let us go back through the history of the Seattle Mariners and find out which of their players belong on the franchise Mount Rushmore.