Seattle Mariners ignore team history and reunite with Ichiro Suzuki

Seattle Mariners: Mike Blowers

In late August of 1999, the Seattle Mariners signed free-agent third baseman Mike Blowers. He had spent the year playing for the Hanshin Tigers in the Japan Central League. Four years earlier, Blowers had been one of the big run-producers on the first Mariners team ever to make the playoffs. He had a career-high 23 homers and 96 RBI in 1995, including 33 in August and eight in one game against the Boston Red Sox.

In his eight-RBI game, Blowers slammed two doubles, a triple and a home run. His eight RBI tied the Mariners’ single-game record (with Alvin Davis). Mike Cameron has since joined them. Blowers was also the first Mariner to bang out four extra-base hits in a game.

Blowers was traded away to the Dodgers that November. He didn’t hit much in L.A. and re-signed with the Mariners as a free agent before the 1997 season. This was their first attempt at recapturing the magic they once had, but it didn’t go particularly well. Blowers was an above average hitter, but only played in 68 games. The Mariners let him become a free agent again after the season, and he played one year in Oakland before going to Japan.

When the Seattle Mariners brought Blowers back in August of 1999 for the third time, the magic had utterly fizzled. He hit .239/.300/.391 in 19 games in what would be his final season. In retirement, he traded in his spikes for dress shoes. He’s now a television analyst for the team and is most famous for predicting Matt Tuiasosopo’s first career home run (if you’re a fan of Dave Niehaus, click on that link; it will remind you of better days).