Bellingham Mariners
The Bellingham Mariners were a minor league baseball team that represented Bellingham, Washington in the Northwest League. The franchise was affiliated with the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1973-76 (during which time they were called the Bellingham Dodgers), the Seattle Mariners from 1977-94 (in which they took the name they held the longest, the Bellingham Mariners, or the "Baby M's" as they were popularly known), and the San Francisco Giants from 1995-96 (they became the Bellingham Giants for those two seasons) before they moved to Keizer, Oregon and became the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes.
In 1987, Ken Griffey, Jr. hit his first professional home run while on the road at Everett Memorial Stadium. A plaque was placed on the sidewalk outside the stadium where the ball landed.[1]
The Bellingham franchise played at Joe Martin Field a stadium with a seating capacity near 2,000. The park is still in use by the Bellingham Bells a team that plays in the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League.
Year-by-year record
| Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 42-37 | 3rd | Bill Berrier | none |
| 1974 | 52-32 | 1st | Bill Berrier | Lost League Finals |
| 1975 | 17-61 | 6th | Bill Berrier | |
| 1976 | 30-42 | 6th | Bill Berrier | |
| 1977 | 42-26 | 2nd | Bobby Floyd | League Champs |
| 1978 | 41-30 | 3rd | Bob Didier | |
| 1979 | 41-31 | 3rd (t) | Jeff Scott | |
| 1980 | 45-25 | 1st | Jeff Scott | Co-Champs w/ Eugene Emeralds |
| 1981 | 39-31 | 2nd | Jeff Scott | Lost playoffs |
| 1982 | 33-37 | 3rd | Jeff Scott | |
| 1983 | 40-28 | 2nd | Jeff Scott | Lost playoffs |
| 1984 | 42-32 | 3rd | Gary Pellant | |
| 1985 | 39-35 | 3rd (t) | Gary Pellant | |
| 1986 | 45-29 | 1st (t) | Sal Rende | League Champs |
| 1987 | 30-46 | 7th | Rick Sweet | |
| 1988 | 25-51 | 8th | P.J. Carey | |
| 1989 | 32-43 | 7th | P.J. Carey | |
| 1990 | 32-44 | 6th | P.J. Carey | |
| 1991 | 37-39 | 5th (t) | Dave Myers | |
| 1992 | 43-33 | 1st (t) | Dave Myers | League Champs |
| 1993 | 44-32 | 1st | Mike Goff | Lost playoffs |
| 1994 | 42-34 | 3rd | Mike Goff | |
| 1995 | 43-33 | 2nd | Glenn Tufts | Lost League Finals |
| 1996 | 39-36 | 4th | Ozzie Virgil, Jr. / Shane Turner |
Notable players
- Dave Valle
- Ken Griffey Jr.
- Pedro Guerrero
- Bud Black
- Jim Presley
- Iván Calderón
- Phil Bradley
- Mark Langston
- Raúl Ibáñez
- Derek Lowe
- Edgar Martinez
- Joe Nathan
- Russ Ortiz
- Dave Stewart
- Mike Scioscia
- Rick Sutcliffe
- Omar Vizquel
References
- ^ Baker, Geoff (August 29, 2008). "Fun is No. 1 at Everett AquaSox games". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
- ^ http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/about/page.jsp?ymd=20061214&content_id=148662&vkey=about_l126&fext=.jsp&sid=l126
- ^ http://minors.baseball-reference.com/
- ^ http://www.thebaseballcube.com/teams/team_10105.shtml
- ^ http://www.thebaseballcube.com/teams/alumni/10105.shtml