1997 Seattle Mariners

Record: 90-72, Finished 1st in AL Western Division (1997 AL)

Clinched Division: September 23, 1997, vs. Anaheim Angels

Coaches: Nardi Contreras, Lee Elia, John McLaren, Sam Mejias, Steve Smith and Matt Sinatro

History, Comments, Contributions[edit]

The 1997 Seattle Mariners set a new American League records for strikeouts when they recorded 1207 whiffs, topping the old mark of 1189 set by the 1967 Cleveland Indians. the main contributors to the record were Randy Johnson with 289 and Jeff Fassero with 189. Relievers Bobby Ayala, Ken Cloude and Scott Sanders all struck out over 8 batters per 9 innings.

They also set the all-time record for most home runs hit by one team, with 264. It was not given a lot of coverage at the time, as it was the heart of a high-hitting era and the record had been set just the previous year, when the Baltimore Orioles had hit 257 long balls. The main contributors were Ken Griffey Jr., with 56, Jay Buhner (40), Paul Sorrento (31) and Edgar Martinez (28), with five more players ending in double figures. The 2005 Texas Rangers were the team closest to catching them, with 260 home runs, until the mark was bested by the 2018 New York Yankees.