Mike Blowers

Mike Blowers
Third baseman
Born: (1965-04-24) April 24, 1965 Würzburg, West Germany
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 1, 1989 for the New York Yankees
Last MLB appearance
October 3, 1999 for the Seattle Mariners
Career statistics
Batting average	.257
Home runs	78
Runs batted in	365
Teams
New York Yankees (1989–1991) Seattle Mariners (1992–1995) Los Angeles Dodgers (1996) Seattle Mariners (1997) Oakland Athletics (1998) Hanshin Tigers (1999) Seattle Mariners (1999)

Michael Roy Blowers (/ˈblaʊ.ərz/; born April 24, 1965 in Würzburg, West Germany) is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and first baseman. An alumnus of Bethel High School, Tacoma Community College and the University of Washington, Blowers was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 10th round of the 1986 Major League Baseball Draft. He was inducted into the Tacoma Community College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007.

Blowers owns and manages a number of Washington-based companies, including Beach Wood Homes of Fife and Keymark Real Estate of Puyallup.

Professional career

Blowers made his Major League Baseball debut with the New York Yankees on September 1, 1989, and played his last game on October 3, 1999 for the Seattle Mariners. He was the 13th player to hit grand slams in consecutive games, which he did on May 16 and 17 of 1993 as a Mariner, and he equaled an American League record by committing four errors in one game at third base as a Yankee in 1990. He hit for the cycle on May 18, 1998 as a member of the Oakland Athletics.

In 1995, he enjoyed his finest season. He hit .257 with 23 home runs and 96 RBI. His 33 RBI in August remains the most by a Mariner in a single month, a record he co-holds with Mariner Hall of Fame third baseman and designated hitter Edgar Martínez.

Broadcasting career

Since 2007, he has been a television and radio color commentator for the Seattle Mariners. He worked alongside the late Hall of Fame broadcaster Dave Niehaus, and continues to work with Dave Sims.

Prediction of Tuiasosopo's first career home run

Main article: Matt Tuiasosopo

During the pre-game broadcast of a September 27, 2009 bout between the Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays, Blowers predicted Matt Tuiasosopo's first career home run. What started as simply selecting a notable player for the day's game became an extended humorous rant by Blowers. In the course of pre-game banter, he stated that the home run would come in Tuiasosopo's second at bat, on a fastball, in a 3-1 count, and that the ball would land in the second deck of left center field. This then happened - with correct prediction of player, at-bat, count, pitch and general landing area - in the top of the fifth inning.

Blowers was on the television side of the broadcast when the prediction came true, and laughed it off without explanation. Radio announcers Rick Rizzs and Dave Niehaus, however, recalled the prediction, restated it for the audience, and were beside themselves in laughter and disbelief as the prediction came true. Said Niehaus on-air, seconds before the event, "I've never been so excited on a 3-1 count in my life!". As Tuiasosopo circled the bases, Niehaus exclaimed "I see the light! I believe you Mike!".

See also

• Hitting for the cycle

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
• Page on "Seattle Mariners" All-time Roster
• ESPN's Mike Blowers career notes
• Mike Blowers Fries Fansite
• Reporter Shannon Drayer's blog, detailing the predicted home run
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