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Ichiro Suzuki: Where does he rate among Seattle Mariners greats?

By Bobby Mueller

CLEVELAND, OH - APRIL 28: Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki (51) at bat during the second inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians on April 28, 2018, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - APRIL 28: Seattle Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki (51) at bat during the second inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians on April 28, 2018, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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SEATTLE, UNITED STATES: Seattle Mariners pitcher Randy Johnson hurls a pitch during the third playoff game in the American League division series against the Yankees in Seattle 06 October. The Yankees are ahead 2-0 in the series. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read Vince Bucci/AFP/Getty Images) /

Randy Johnson (44.3 WAR)

With all due respect to King Felix Hernandez, who has more WAR than Randy Johnson as a Mariner, I put the Big Unit ahead of Hernandez in my Seattle Mariners top five. Johnson became a dominant pitcher with the Seattle Mariners after a few years struggling with his control. He led the AL in walks in his first three full seasons in Seattle.

He finally found the magic in 1993 when he finished second in AL Cy Young voting. He would finish third in Cy Young voting during the shortened 1994 season before winning the award for the first time in 1995 when he was 18-2 with a 2.48 ERA.

That 1995 season was the first time the Seattle Mariners ever made the playoffs, and Randy Johnson was a huge part of it. The 1995 team was powered by Edgar Martinez and Randy Johnson.

The team’s biggest star at the time, Ken Griffey, Jr., was injured when he crashed into a wall in the outfield and only played 72 games. Edgar led the offense by hitting .356/.479/.628 and Johnson led the pitching staff.

The Seattle Mariners were 13 games back on August 2 but went 35-20 down the stretch to catch the California Angels. This led to a one-game playoff in which Johnson faced former Mariner Mark Langston at the Kingdome, with more than 52,000 fans (including me) screaming throughout. Johnson was again his dominant self, and when Luis Sojo cleared the bases late in the game, the Seattle Mariners were playoff-bound.

As important as that game was in Johnson’s career with the Seattle Mariners, he would have an even more critical moment in the ALDS against the Yankees. With the Mariners down two games to none, Johnson started and won Game 3.

The Seattle Mariners won again, the next night, then played an epic Game 5 in which Johnson came out of the bullpen on one day’s rest to pitch the final three innings. When Edgar Martinez hit “The Double,” Randy Johnson picked up the win. He may not have had as much total value as Felix Hernandez, but he was on the mound for more significant moments in Seattle Mariners history, so he gets the number four spot.

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