08 October 2012

The Double: What it means for Seattle, The Mariners, and baseball.

Imagine that it's early August. Your baseball team is 13 games behind in the American League West. Your star player has been injured by a freak accident. And then the star player returns, and you fight your way to a playoff spot in the last day, and you win the tie-breaker to clinch the American League West for the very first time. Oh wait.........

That could pretty much surmise the 1995 baseball season for the Seattle Mariners. They started out well, with players like Edgar Martinez, Ken Griffey Jr, Jay Buhner, Randy Johnson, Tino Martinez, Joey Cora, and a few others. And then, May 26 came. Ken Griffey Jr.broke his wrist chasing a fly ball by running into the wall at the Kingdome. This was not only a setback for Griffey, it was a setback for the M's. They did what they could to keep it all together. They had Randy Johnson on the hill, and Jay Buhner. However, when Griffey came back in August, it was ON!! It was going to be the big chase. People wondered if they were going to even make the wild card. The M's shot for something better. They came together as a team, made it all the way to the last day, and had a tie with the California Angels. What happened? Luis Sojo hit an inside the park grand slam, Randy Johnson struck out Tim Salmon, and all was celebration at the Kingdome, as the M's clinched the American League West for the first time ever.

Fast forward to October 8, 1995, 17 years ago today. The M's have tied it all up for the American League Division Championship. It was do or die. In the 3rd inning, Joey Cora hits a home run off of David Cone. Then the New York Yankees comes back with a Paul O'Neill home run. The Mariners come back with a broken bat single from Jay Buhner to tie the game. Don Mattingly of the Yankees comes back to break the tie. No one on the Mariners' side would score, UNTIL THE 8th INNING. Up to bat: The Kid, Ken Griffey Jr. What does he do? BLAST OFF!! Deep home run past right field.  This would start a rally. Later in the inning the bases would be loaded for pinched hitter Doug Strange. He gets walked and the game it tied up. The Lou Piniella brings in Randy Johnson for relief, a role he never had in the regular season. The Yankees would score on him. And then the 11th inning came. The definitive moment:

Joey Cora got on base, and then Ken Griffey Jr. Next was Edgar Martinez. He hits a shot down the left field line. Joey Cora would score. Would Ken Griffey Jr score all the way from first base? And the answer is YES!!!! He scores on a very close throw, and the Seattle Mariners advance to the American League Championship. That Sunday night in October was the definitive moment for Seattle, The Seattle Mariners, and for baseball.

Why? Well, you have to understand this. The Seattle Mariners were founded in 1977 along with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Mariners never had a winning season until 1991. Many people hated the Kingdome. It was called "Puget Puke", and "the Tomb" for many years. Its brutalist architecture didn't win many fans. In 1994, it was kind of a tragic year. Pieces of the roof in the Kingdome collapsed, and then you had the 1994 strike which ended the season prematurely. No World Series, no postseason. The strike left a bitter taste in the mouths of many fans, who would soon turn their back on the game. The Seattle Mariners were very close to leaving the city. King County(where Seattle is located) voted against a proposal to have a baseball-only stadium built for the Mariners. No one wanted to play in the Kingdome and it appeared that baseball was on its way out of Seattle. When the great playoff run of 1995 came, it brought in more fans, more support, and a boost. It was like a phoenix rising out of the ashes of 1994. The Washington State Legislature approved funding for the now-Safeco Field to be built. It was the hit that saved a franchise, and brought excitement back to baseball.

The 1990s were a turn around for the Seattle Mariners, and for the city. The 1990s in general were an interesting time. So many things came out of Seattle, like Starbucks, Microsoft, and Pearl Jam. Ken Griffey Jr was on his way to becoming one of the most popular baseball players of this era. It seemed like so much was taking place in Seattle.



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