Bellingham Mariners
The Bellingham Mariners were a Minor League Baseball team in the Class A-Short Season Northwest League, based in Bellingham, Washington. The club served as the Seattle Mariners' short-season affiliate for eighteen years from 1977–1994.
Bellingham Mariners 1977–1994 Bellingham, Washington | |
Minor league affiliations | |
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Class | Class A-Short Season |
League | Northwest League |
Major league affiliations | |
Previous teams | Seattle Mariners (1977–1994) Los Angeles Dodgers (1973–1976) |
Minor league titles | |
League titles (4) |
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Division titles (7) |
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Team data | |
Previous names | Bellingham Dodgers (1973–1976) |
Colors | Navy blue, silver, northwest green |
Previous parks | Joe Martin Field |
History
Major League Baseball returned to Seattle in 1977 with the expansion Mariners of the American League. Bellingham signed a player development contract with the Seattle and adopted their parent club's identity, taking the name Mariners.[1] Affectionately referred to as Baby M's, the team would serve as Seattle's only affiliate in their inaugural season. In a strange alignment, the Northwest League would have two divisions, one of teams with affiliation and the other comprised on independents. Bellingham would win the affiliate division with a 42–26 record. The club would square off against the infamous Portland Mavericks for the league championship. In a best of three series, Bellingham and Portland would split the first two games. The Baby M's would hold off the Mavericks by a score of 4–2 in the decisive game to claim the 1977 Northwest League crown.[2] Mariners skipper Bobby Floyd earned the league's manager of the year award.[3] The Mariners continued their on-field success with nearly identical records going 41–30 and 41–31 in consecutive seasons.
1980 was a banner year for Bellingham. The club amassed a 45-25 en route to a North Division title. The Baby M’s faced the Eugene Emeralds in the league championship series. Eugene and Bellingham split the first two games of the series. The decisive third game was cancelled due to rain. The two clubs were awarded Co-Northwest League Champions.[4] The club witnessed a significant jump in attendance with 42,292 passing through the turnstiles.
Seeking to repeat as league champions the Baby M's claimed the north division. Bellingham faced the Medford A's in the championship series, but were swept in two games. Two seasons later in 1983, with a roster that included future Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez, the Mariners claimed the division title with a 40-28 record. Bellingham was again swept by Medford in the championship series. In 1984 and 1985 the Baby M's posted mirror finishes at 39-35 taking second in the Washington division standings.
In 1987, 17-year-old Ken Griffey, Jr. hit his first professional home run while on the road at Everett Memorial Stadium on June 18.[5] A plaque was placed on the sidewalk outside the stadium where the ball landed.[6]
Despite on-field success and a steady stream of Mariners prospects, the club struggled with poor attendance. Following the 1994 season, the Mariners ended their relationship with Bellingham.[7] Seattle moved their affiliation south to Everett were the team assumed a new identity as the Everett AquaSox. Everett, who had been affiliated with the San Francisco Giants swapped with Seattle and moved their short-season affiliation to Bellingham. Bellingham assumed their parent club's moniker to become the Bellingham Giants in 1995.
Ballpark
The Bellingham franchise played at Joe Martin Field, a venue with a seating capacity near 1,600. The park is currently the home of the Bellingham Bells of the West Coast League.[8]
Season-by-season record
Season | PDC | Division | Finish | Wins | Losses | Win% | Post-season | Manager | Attendance | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bellingham Mariners | ||||||||||
1977 | SEA | Affiliate | 1st | 42 | 26 | .618 | Defeated Portland in championship series 2-1[12] | Bobby Floyd | 36,730 | |
1978 | SEA | North | 3rd | 41 | 30 | .577 | Bob Didier | 29,739 | ||
1979 | SEA | North | 2nd | 41 | 31 | .569 | Jeff Scott | 31,741 | ||
1980 | SEA | North | 1st | 45 | 25 | .643 | Tied Eugene 1–1 (Game 3 cancelled due to rain) | Jeff Scott | 42,292 | |
1981 | SEA | North | 1st | 39 | 31 | .557 | Lost to Medford in championship series 2-0 | Jeff Scott | 21,390 | |
1982 | SEA | North | 2nd | 33 | 37 | .471 | Jeff Scott | 17,211 | ||
1983 | SEA | Washington | 1st | 40 | 28 | .588 | Lost to Medford in championship series 2-0 | Jeff Scott | 12,944 | |
1984 | SEA | Washington | 2nd | 39 | 35 | .568 | Gary Pellant | 15,812 | ||
1985 | SEA | Washington | 2nd | 39 | 35 | .541 | Gary Pellant | 18,343 | ||
1986 | SEA | Washington | 1st | 45 | 29 | .608 | Defeated Eugene in championship 1–0 | Sal Rende | 14,916 | |
1987 | SEA | South | 4th | 30 | 46 | .395 | Rick Sweet | 22,183 | ||
1988 | SEA | North | 4th | 25 | 51 | .329 | P. J. Carey | 15,015 | ||
1989 | SEA | North | 3rd | 32 | 43 | .427 | P. J. Carey | 31,685 | ||
1990 | SEA | North | 3rd | 32 | 44 | .421 | P. J. Carey | 52,461 | ||
1991 | SEA | North | 2nd | 37 | 39 | .487 | Dave Myers | 60,484 | ||
1992 | SEA | North | 1st | 43 | 33 | .566 | Defeated Bend in championship series 2–0 | Dave Myers | 68,928 | |
Bellingham Mariners | ||||||||||
1993 | SEA | North | 1st | 44 | 32 | .579 | Lost to Boise in championship series 2-0 | Mike Goff | 74,900 | |
1994 | SEA | North | 2nd | 42 | 34 | .553 | Mike Goff | 71,256 | ||
Division winner | League champions |
Hall of Fame alumni
- Ken Griffey, Jr. (1987) Inducted, 2016
- Edgar Martinez (1983) Inducted, 2019
Notable players
- Phil Bradley
- Iván Calderón
- Dave Henderson
- Raúl Ibañez
- Mark Langston
- Derek Lowe
- Joe Nathan
- Russ Ortiz
- Jim Presley
- Dave Stewart MLB All-Star
- Dave Valle
- Omar Vizquel MLB All-Star
See also
- Bellingham Mariners players (1977–1994)
References
- "Bellingham farm club". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
- "Bellingham tops Mavs for NWL championship". Newspapers.com. 1977-09-01. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
- "Bellingham's Floyd manager of the year". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
- "Eugene, Bellingham are co-champions". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
- "Northwest League: Wednesday's results". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). June 19, 1987. p. 36.
- Baker, Geoff (August 29, 2008). "Fun is No. 1 at Everett AquaSox games". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on 2008-09-02. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
- "Mariners drop Calgary, Bellingham". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
- "Joe Martin Field". Bellingham Bells. Archived from the original on September 1, 2014. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/about/page.jsp?ymd=20061214&content_id=148662&vkey=about_l126&fext=.jsp&sid=l126
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2008-11-08.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-12-15. Retrieved 2008-11-08.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Bellingham wins title". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. September 1, 1977. p. 22.
External links
- Baseball Reference Bellingham Mariners
Preceded by Bellingham Dodgers |
Northwest League franchise 1977-1994 |
Succeeded by Bellingham Giants |