1999 Seattle Mariners

Record: 79-83, Finished 3rd in AL Western Division (1999 AL)

Coaches: Jesse Barfield, John McLaren, Sam Mejias, Matt Sinatro, Steve Smith and Stan Williams

History, Comments, Contributions[edit]

The 1999 Seattle Mariners played their first game at Safeco Field on July 15.

In terms of raw Earned Run Average, the 1999 Mariners' bullpen was the 3rd-worst of any team since 1960. Seattle relievers' ERA was 5.94, with a 1.805 WHIP; they allowed an .858 OPS, 25 percent worse than the league average. The team ERA was 5.24, and only the Kansas City Royals, at 5.35, were worse. However, the Mariners could certainly hit homers: they set a record with 151 homers before the All-Star break, a record which held until broken by the 2018 New York Yankees. They led the American League with 244 homers that season. They also tied the all-time record for most in a month with 58 in May; the 1987 Orioles had set that particular record, also in May, and it held until the 2019 Yankees shattered it in August. All those homers did not make for a particularly effective offense, however, as the M's scored 859 runs, just above the league average of 838, and well behind the 1009 runs scored by the Cleveland Indians.