Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners (photo by Mike Tigas, via Flickr).
Jamie Moyer, Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame.
The Seattle Mariners have been in business since 1977. In those 44 seasons, they’ve had some outstanding pitchers. From fireballer Randy Johnson to changeup expert Jamie Moyer to spitball master Gaylord Perry, the M’s had a little bit of everything.
Before we get into the Top 10 individual pitching seasons, here are a few fun facts about M’s pitching seasons as a whole.
The Seattle Mariners…
On to the list
Felix Hernandez 2009 – He was 19-5 with a 2.49 ERA. Hernandez led the league in wins and was the Cy Young runner up.
J.J. Putz 2007 – The league leader in games finished, J.J. Putz had a 6-1 record, 40 saves, and a 1.38 ERA.
Jamie Moyer 2003 – Moyer won 21 games with a 3.27 at age 40.
Someone from the magical 2001, 116-win season had to make this list. Jamie Moyer was the 20-game winner, but Freddy Garcia was the staff ace. The Chief led the A.L. in three statistical categories for one of the best teams in baseball history.
Marco Gonzales, Seattle Mariners.
This might be a stretch for some long-time fans but stick with it for a sec. The Seattle Mariners were in contention for the playoffs up to the last week of the season. Marco Gonzales was the one constant on an otherwise shaky pitching staff in 2020.
His seven wins in the shortened season were second in the league despite the fact Seattle used a six-man rotation. It’s a shame Gonzales didn’t get one Cy Young vote. He earned it.
On a team that won 78 games, Mark Langston had 19 wins (24.4 percent). The Seattle Mariners needed every one of those wins because number two starter Mike Moore lost 19. Langston claimed his third A.L. strikeout total in 1987 and picked up the first of seven Gold Gloves for good measure.
Seattle Mariners Manager Eric Wedge had a nice one-two punch with Hisashi Iwakuma, and Felix Hernandez, too bad no one else on the team could pitch. After a so-so rookie year, the Japanese import stepped it up in his sophomore season. His nasty 1.004 WHIP would have led the league in four of the previous six seasons.
Randy Johnson, Seattle Mariners (photo by Dave Sizer, via Wikimedia).
This was the Big Unit’s first truly great season in a Hall of Fame career. One of the biggest reasons was that he finally got control of that rocket launcher attached to his left shoulder. After walking at least 120 batters each of the previous three seasons, he cut his bases on balls to 99. Johnson won 23 percent of all M’s games and had an outstanding 1.112 WHIP.
Edwin Diaz turned in one of the most dominating seasons for a relief pitcher in recent memory. “Sugar” saved 57 games, converting 93.4 percent of his opportunities. He was the A.L. reliever of the month four times. It wasn’t that he just saved games; Diaz blew hitters away. In 73.1 innings pitched, he had 124 strikeouts and a tiny 0.791 WHIP.
Felix Hernandez got off to a hot start in 2014. From his opening day start through July 25, King Felix was 11-2, with a 1.99 ERA and 172 strikeouts. He was the ace of a good M’s pitching staff, taking the hill every five days. Unfortunately, he didn’t get much run support.
Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners (photo by Matt McGee, via Flickr).
Very rarely does a pitcher with a record one game over .500 win the Cy Young Award. That’s how outstanding Hernandez was in 2010. He was about the only good thing Seattle’s pitching staff had that year; the team won only 61 games. King Felix was also dependable, once again leading the league in starts.
One side note, Hernandez made the All-Star team six out of seven years between 2009-2015. This was the year he wasn’t selected.
This was the first year Seattle hit 90 wins. As well as the first time they broke the three million fan mark. Undoubtedly many came to see Randy Johnson pitch. He lost one home start all season. Johnson won 20 games for the first time, and his 2.28 ERA was the best of his career. Because he missed a few starts, the Big Unit only had 291 strikeouts and finished second (one behind Roger Clemens.
This was the Seattle Mariners first-ever playoff season, so it’s not much of a surprise the team’s best pitcher is ranked here. Johnson had one of his best seasons in 1995, posting an 18-2 record. Both of his losses came when the Seattle Mariners scored two or fewer runs.
Most importantly, he won his first of five Cy Young Awards. Johnson carried the pitching staff with a 2.48 ERA. None of the other M’s starters got under 4.50. The Big Unit was money every time he took the hill.
The Seattle Mariners have some good young pitchers in their organization. Who will be the next one to make this list.