Seattle Mariners: Deja Vu, looking at the M’s during 1994 strike
Major League Baseball is in the middle of another labor stoppage. We look back at where the Seattle Mariners were during MLB’s last labor strife in 1994.
While baseball fans sit idle during this 2021 Major League lockout, I got to wondering how good or bad the Seattle Mariners were when the last strike/lockout happened. 1994 was the last time an MLB labor stoppage took place when the players went on strike mid-season, August 12. It was the first time the Fall Classic was canceled. In fact, prior to this event, no American professional league ever had their Championship game/series canceled due to labor disputes.
So how were the Mariners doing on August 12, 1994, in the middle of the dog days of summer? Seattle had a paltry 49-63 record but were winners of nine of their last ten games. However, the 1994 season was known for something other than the strike here in Seattle. If you remember, 1994 was also the year that the roof started falling in the Kingdome., forcing the M’s to play the rest of their season “on the road.”
Dream Season for some
A few Seattle players were in the midst of significant seasons. It was a monster year for Ken Griffey Jr., batting .323 with 40 home runs and 90 RBI with 2 months to go in the season. This year was Griffey’s first real shot at Roger Maris‘ single-season HR record of 61. The Big Unit, Randy Johnson, was also doing very well pitching to the tune of a 13-6 record, with a 3.19 ERA, 204 strikeouts, and a 5.5 WAR. He also had 9 complete games in only 23 starts, which will probably never happen again. The way current managers use their bullpens now won’t allow it.
At this point in the season, even with a record 13 games under .500, the Seattle Mariners found themselves only two games behind Texas for first place in the American League West. The Sporting News wrote an interesting take on how the 1994 season would’ve ended.
In TSN’s scenario, the Mariners went on to win the World Series, and Junior was the MVP. Seattle fans went wild. The parade downtown was epic, and King County voters overwhelmingly voted yes to a new stadium. It gets a little crazy in the ensuing years, but the M’s won two World Series rings over the next decade, including 1994.
Prologue
How does this all tie into the current labor stoppage? It doesn’t really, but it’s interesting that the last time a stoppage happened was when the Mariners were on the verge of their most successful era in team history. This time around, the Mariners are again on the rise, and hopefully, this next era will be their most successful. And this time (crossing fingers), the Seattle Mariners bring a championship home to the Emerald City.
Related Story: Can Logan Gilbert become the Mariners’ next ace?
What do you remember about the 1994 Seattle Mariners and the strike-shortened season? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.