Mariners Rumors / Trade Rumors 2012 + News + Blog | Mariners Mix

That Magical Time of Year...

2011-06-05T23:36:00.000-07:00

By Brian Ailor

Finally the moment you've all been waiting for.. No, not my long awaited return to Mariners blogging, but the MLB June call ups! This marks the time of the season where teams call up the star prospects and dump the struggling batters and pitchers, while at the same time avoiding arbitration for an extra year.

For those who don't know.. Arbitration is a system in which salaries are reviewed and adjusted to mirror those of equal players. David Aardsma is a great example of this. His salary tripled this off season due to arbitration rewarding him the average salary of the MLB closer. Because of this teams like to manipulate the service time of a prospect to push back arbitration an extra year. Thus causing the June call ups.

Sadly.. Or in some cases not that sadly *coughs Milton Bradley* to make room on the roster, you must demote of release struggling veterans. We've seen this already this year with the M's designating for assignment (fancy way of saying releasing with pay) both Milton Bradley and Ryan Lanerhans, who this year made 12 million and $525,000 respectfully. That's a lot of money for Mariners' management to eat. Give credit to Jack Zduriencik to have the courage to pull the trigger early enough in the season to make room for young outfielders Carlos Paguero and Greg Halman to grow.

It's not hard to see that youngster Carlos Paguero possesses nearly unlimited power from the left side of the plate. This is key since Safco Field was built for said power in plans for Ken Griffey JR. If Paguero learns to simply put the ball in play more and not strike out as much he could become a very solid piece to build around in the near future.

I would catalog 1 game as being a small sample size, but that being said, who doesn't like what they saw out to Greg Halman?? The guy went 3 for 4, with a triple, and 2 RBI in his first game this year. I would think the Mariners going forward would platoon him with Carlos Paguero in left field, making an exciting duo with Paguero getting the at bats against right handed pitchers and Halman the lefties.

With the release of Milton Bradley causing the roster spot for Carlos Paguero and Ryan Langerhans, with the help of struggling Michael Saunders, creating the spot for Greg Halman. We must ask ourselves.. Who's spot will stud prospect Dustin Ackley take? Dustin Ackley in 57 games in AAA Tacoma is hitting .291, with 68 hits, and 7 homers. In my opinion there are two ways to go about this...

The first is highly difficult since it requires a dance partner to accomplish.. First of all, I don't know if I speak for the rest of you, but I know I have seen enough of Chone Figgins in a Mariners' uniform. Our speedy corner infielder is sporting a measly .186 average with a .225 on base percentage. Please correct me if I'm wrong but if speed is your best skill... then don't you need to get on base every now and again to use it??? If it was up to me I would send now 5th string outfielder Mike Wilson down to AAA and call up Dustin Ackley today. Then between now and the July 31st trade deadline take anything I could possibly get for Chone Figgins.

Baring an injury to a contending team, I don't see how the M's could make a deal involving the struggling former all star without having to pay the majority of his 17 million dollars still owed to him over the next two years.

The easier route to get Dustin Ackley to the majors would be to simply release Jack Wilson. Wilson is in the final year of his contract making 5 million dollars. It is highly unlikely that another team would make a deal for this shortstop turned second baseman who can't hit much to speak of. Releasing him makes an obvious opening for Ackley to share the second base duties with veteran Adam Kennedy.

The sudden change of scenery with all the young talent and winning team is making this season very exciting for M's fans. With Justin Smoak, Felix Hernandez, and Michael Pineda leading the way, the future for this Seattle Mariners team look very promising.

Fantasy Impact Of The Seattle Mariners

2011-02-15T20:20:00.000-08:00

By Brian Ailor

Felix Hernandez:

Pros- King Felix is a lock seemingly for 200 strikeouts and 200 innings once again. There are only a hand full of pitchers who can say that. The reining Cy Young Award winner is predicted to have a sub 3.00 ERA and a WHIP in the neighborhood of 1.20... Both of which are hard to come by.

Cons- Despite being baseball's greatest pitcher a year ago, Felix only managed a 13-12 record. The lack of run support for the entire Mariners' pitching staff was almost historically bad.

Advise- Aim to pair Felix with a pitcher who may not have the greatest stats but can produce 18 wins or so. Say A.J. Burnett for example. With Burnett you get a high 4.00 or above ERA, 200 strikeouts, and 17-20 wins with the Yankees' offense behind him. So when you average Burnett's 18 wins, 4.20 ERA, and 200 strikeouts over 150 innings with Felix's 15 wins, 3.00 ERA, and 220 strikeouts over 250 innings you have a pair of starters that would total a 3.40 ERA, 33 wins, and over 400 strikeouts. Can't complain with that stat line for your #1 and #2 starting pitchers. If you get Felix early in the draft you can wait a good 7 rounds before you target your next pitcher in A.J. Burnett.

Ichiro Suzuki:

Pros- Ichiro is .310 AVE, 40 Stolen Bases, and 200 Hits in the bag. The 37 year old has won 10 straight Gold Gloves and has been named to 10 consecutive All-Star Games. When you draft Ichiro you know what your getting... He's a low risk pick with next to no injury concerns.

Cons- Only a Seattle Mariner player could have 200 hits and 40 stolen bases and still only score 74 runs. The incredible lack of offense behind Ichiro has considerably lowered his value in fantasy baseball. When you draft a lead off hitter you want 2 things... A high batting average and runs scored. Ichiro is middle of the pact at best in the Runs department.

Advise- With Ichiro, just as Felix, his true value comes when you use his stats to help fix a hole in another player's stat line. For example, Adam Dunn fills all the holes in what Ichiro can't do. Adam Dunn hits 40 Homers and drives in 100 RBI every year. Ichiro and Dunn make a great pairing. Ichiro can average out Dunn's low batting average and no speed, while Dunn averages out Ichiro's lack of power.

Chone Figgins:

Pros- You heard it here first people, Chone Figgins will lead all Third Basemen in stolen bases. Last year Figgins had one of the worst offensive years of his career. In my opinion, last year's busts all ways turn into this year's diamonds in the rough. With Figgy moving back to his natural position at Third Base, I look for him to have a bounce back year. There was no question that Figgy had bad blood with former Manager Don Wakamatsu. Hopefully Eric Wedge will provide a much needed breath of fresh air for Figgy and all the Mariner's hitters.

Cons- Third Base is usually where you try and get power numbers for your fantasy team. Trying to get those numbers out of Figgins is like putting a square peg in a round hole.... It's just not gonna happen.

Advise- If you miss out on a top of the line Third Baseman the likes of Even Longoria and AROD then Chone Figgins is for you! Whatever you do, do not settle for mediocre at this position. In every league there will come a time when a contender for league champion will panic because their currently last place in the stolen bases department. Draft Figgins, get 20 steals out of him for a few months, then use him as trade bait for a power bat or hole in your pitching rotation.

David Aardsma-

Pros- He's a Closer....he gets the all important saves. Mariano Rivera he isn't, but trust me, there are never enough closers to go around in fantasy!

Cons-The D.A. as he's known had hip surgery in January, and won't be back till mid-April. He most likely will be the Mariner's Closer upon his return, but we all know the Mariners would love to trade his 4 million plus dollar contract to anyone that's willing. Worst case scenario for potential Aardsma owner's would be if he were traded to a mid season contender to be not the closer but the setup man for an already established closer.

Advise- I wouldn't touch the D.A. with a ten foot pole. He's a high risk, low reward player. The high risk of him being a bust in the closer role this year is far too great to draft him. But if you're desperate for a Closer of just like to gamble then take him as one of your last picks in the draft.

UNDERRATED-

Miguel Olivo- The nine-year veteran will shoulder most of the load behind the plate for the Mariners this year. Assuming you missed out on a top tier Catcher then constant playing time is all you can hope for... Olivo should catch in the area 150 of the 162 games this year. Constant playing time means constant numbers for this middle of the lineup hitting Catcher.

Brandon League- With Aardsma being injured, Brandon League, the hard throwing right hander will likely have the closing job to begin the season. A save is a save is a save... Can never have enough Closers on your fantasy team.

Justin Smoak- There is always a lot of depth at First Base, but it never hurts to have a low risk, high return back up or corner infield spot player. The Smoak Monster for years now has been widely considered as one of the game's brightest prospects. It might not be this year he explodes offensively, but I would rather draft him and have him not explode then not draft him and he explodes for some other team instead.

OVERRATED-

Franklin Gutierrez- Unfortunately for Guti there is no Defensive Range Covered stat line in fantasy baseball. Gutierrez is a good but not great player, his fantasy value is quite low actually. He's nothing but average in almost all categories. Roster space is the key here, he just doesn't have enough value to waist a draft pick on... That being said, if you have an injury I'd pick him up in a heart beat. He may not help you, but he sure as well won't hurt you.

3 Simple Ways To Improve Mariners Fan Fest

2011-02-08T18:48:00.000-08:00

By Brian Ailor

1. I know it's in Seattle, but could we please choose a group of days where it's not raining and freezing outside? When I spend an entire day at the ballpark I usually like the temperature to be a higher number then my age...

2. The Felix Hernandez hitting simulator was awesome! Especially when grown men look like lil girls (me included) trying to hit a 100 MPH fastball. But it could be even better if you throw in a monster curveball or specialty pitch like that. Trying to hit a Jamie Moyer change up or dare I say Tim Wakefield knuckleball?

3. The autographs were the most popular attraction by far, yet in my opinion done all wrong. This year at least you had to wait in line for hours and you still had really no choice as to whom you got to sign your stuff. I was one of the lucky ones who got Bret Boone and Jay Buhner, but I waited in line soo long for those two that I missed out on Dustin Ackley and friends.

Would of loved to get to meet the old Mariners and also get to see a future star to sign for you. Future stars are always fun to see because after you have an autograph of them you have such a high interest in their career. Makes watching them in person or on TV almost double the fun!

I'm nothing if not solutions oriented... So I got an idea to improve this whole thing! For starters, you take the 10 or so players for autographs and you put them in a booth evenly spaced across the outfield wall. You build it like media day is held the week before the Super Bowl. You as a fan get to see the whole set up in front of you and get to decide if you want to spend all your time getting one Ichiro or Felix autograph. Or to spend your time a lil more wisely and wait in 4 shorter lines and double your total autographs. As an added bonus, with the media day setup you shorten the lines because you eliminate the casual fan who just wants a facebook photo of their favorite player because they can just snap that pic from the stands instead.

Are my ideas perfect? No.. But it's far more fan friendly then what's usually done. It is called Fan Fest for a reason right??

If you also went to Fan Fest or have ideas to help improve Fan Fest please comment below!!

Edgar Martinez: Hall Of Fame Worthy?

2011-01-26T19:42:00.000-08:00

By Brian Ailor

Edgar Martinez not only has one of the greatest baseball names to speak of, he was also a pretty good ball player. Edgar was one of the greatest right handed hitters of his generation. And that's saying a lot since he played in the steroid era. Tho naysayers would suggest that his stats pretty much define good but not great. You throw in the lack of defense he played and you have most Hall Of Fame voters leaning no when asked if he's Hall Of Fame worthy.

Edgar Martinez Career Numbers And His Overall Ranking:

Hits- 2247 (157th)
Doubles- 514 (116th)
HR- 309 (116th)
RBI- 1261 (116th)
AVE- .312 (96th)
Walks- 1283 (43rd)
Slug %- .515 (69th)
OBS (on base plus slugging)- .933 (35th)

Edgar Martinez Average Season Numbers Over 18 Years:

Runs- 96
Hits- 177
Doubles- 41
HR- 24
RBI- 99
Walks- 101
AVE- .312

Let us not forget that Edgar's career numbers would have been slightly higher if not for the lockout that kept all major leaguers out of action in 1994. The strike lasted from August 12, 1994 till April 2, 1995. That was Edgar's 8th season in the league.

I know what your saying... Those numbers are good but not HOF good. But if you look closer into the numbers Edgar is in some pretty elite company. Edgar joins such notables as Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Rogers Hornsby, Stan Musual, Lou Gehrig, Manny Ramirez, and Todd Helton as the only players in baseball history to have 300 homers, 500 doubles, a career batting average higher then .300, a career on-base percentage higher then .400, and a career slugging percentage higher then .500.

Edgar Martinez was so dominant at his position in fact that they named an award in his honor. The Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award has been presented annually to the most outstanding designated hitter in the American League since 1973. Originally know as just the Outstanding Designated Hitter Award, it was renamed in his honor following his retirement in 2004. Edgar was a five-time winner of the award during his career.

The designated hitter for those who may not know is an official position adopted by the American League in 1973 that allows teams to designate a player, know as the designated hitter (DH), to bat in place of the pitcher when he would otherwise have to bat.

Some might argue that if you're the best player ever at your position you should be elected into the hall no questions asked. You might even argue that a DH in the offensive version of a relief pitcher. Even then, only recently have the hall of fame voters been letting even the greatest of relief pitchers in. Only Goose Goosage, Hoyt Wilhelm, Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersley, and Bruce Sutter have made it in. And all five of them have been elected since 1985.

Probably the best hope Edgar has is that Paul Molitor was elected in 2004. Molitor played a majority of his fine career as a DH himself. If it's been done before, why can't it be done again right?

I'll tell ya why... Despite his numbers, Edgar has one major issue that most voters will never get over. And that's that he just played the wrong position. The National League fans and, in particular, the voters just do not like the DH rule in the American League. They hate that rule even more then Luke Skywalker hates the darkside.

Those old fashion stick in the muds have nothing better to do then frown upon all the DH players. They can look past his numbers, his 7 all-star selections, and even his 5 silver slugger award just because they refuse to let a full time DH into the Hall Of Fame.

Judging by the fact that Edgar's voting percentage dropped from 36.2% his first year on the ballot to 32.9% this time around. Edgar has a long way to go before he reaches the 75% approval rating needed for enshrinement.

For Both Edgar's and Mariners' fans sakes, lets just hope that is the old fashion voter's way of trying to make us sweat it out and wait the maximum 15 years for his eventual acceptance as one of the games most elite players.

Mariners Roster Needs More Power

2010-12-14T21:11:00.000-08:00

By Brian Ailor

Is it just me or is anyone else scared that the Mariners are one outfield injury away from starting Milton Bradley again? I got my fingers crossed that Michael Saunders will be a great player... but I fear the M's will give up prematurely again like they did with Shin-Soo Choo a few years back. Wish we had that trade back? Speaking of trades... Let's not be so quick to deal Closer David Aardsma. Every year theirs a demand for a quality closer at the trade deadline. Let us wait and see if anyone overspends to get one.

Instead, I think all Mariners fans can agree, we have enough .270 batting average/contact hitters to fill two teams. What we need to do is be more like... The White Sox??? For years now the White Sox, and in particular Seattle J-Walker/White Sox G.M. Kenny Williams, have done an incredible job being in contention in a very strong division, the AL Central. Not by getting lucky with home grown talent or by overspending on the top level free agents, but by doing one simple thing offensively. That is to mix and match contact hitters with power hitters. When your team is too contact hitting friendly you must string together hit after hit. Not a very effective strategy in this era of the match up minded managers. What we must do is acquire more power bats to place behind Ichiro and Figgy! Recently adding Jack Cust to the lineup isn't a bad start, but in a perfect world Cust would be a #5 hitter at best.

The Mariners should be looking to get more power bats. Getting one or two homers a game might just be enough damage to win with the Mariners impeccable defense and spacious Safco Field. Not to mention would be exciting baseball for a change....

As it stands now....

Projected Lineup VS Left Handed Pitching:
1. Ichiro RF
2. Figgens 3B
3. Miguel Olivo C*
4. Justin Smoak 1B
5. Franklin Gutierrez CF
6. Jack Cust DH
7. Jack Wilson SS
8. Milton Bradley LF
9. Brandon Ryan 2B

*Looks funny on paper to have your catcher bat 3rd, but newcomer Miguel Olivo batted just under .300 a year ago against left handed pitching. (Well find out just how much of that was a product of hitters friendly Coors Field.)

Projected Lineup VS Right Handed Pitching:
1. Ichiro
2. Figgens 3B
3. Jack Cust DH*
4. Justin Smoak 1B
5. Miguel Olivo C
6. Franklin Gutierrez CF
7. Jack Wilson SS
8. Michael Saunders LF
9. Brandon Ryan 2B

*VS left handed pitching a year ago Jack Cust batted just .180 with 1 home run, but against righties he batted .290 with 12 home runs.

Not Exactly a murders row on offense right? Another power bat will be much needed to compete for 1st place in the AL West. Vladimir Guerrero comes to mind not only as a productive hitter but as a proven power threat in Safeco. Derreck Lee would be a nice fit as well. He would provide a big bat in the middle of the lineup and help keep the pressure off young Justin Smoak. Jim Thome is another possibility at DH/pinch hitter, whos veteren leadership might just be what the doctor ordered with the loss of Ken Griffey JR and Mike Sweeney. On a side note, I would like to see Justin Ackley play nearly everyday as a utility man either by spelling time at 2nd or shortstop. Well need him game ready anyways for the inevitable day Jack Wilson gets hurt and Milton Bradley pulls another section 8.

Any question/comments or any other Mariners ideas, please feel free to comment below !!

Mariners X-Mas List For Winter Meetings

2010-12-09T14:34:00.000-08:00

By Brian Ailor

1st Base/DH: I like Justin Smoak as a prospect but I'd sure like a proven hitter either to spell him at first or to DH and take some of the pressure off him. Why not blow Japanese media heads off and bring in Godzilla for a year? He might play the field and run the bases like I travel up stairs, but if you have Ichiro and Gutierrez roaming the outfield who cares?

2nd Base: Too late for Brett Boone to make yet another Mariners comeback?? Yeah probably so here's a shot in the dark... let's move disgruntled 2nd baseman Chone Figgens back to 3rd where he seemed far more comfortable with back in Anaheim. Then promote blue chipper prospect Justin Ackley to play 2nd base. Trial by fire always works best in my opinion.

SS: Not sure how the rest of you feel but I consider Wilsons to be like QBs in the NFL... If you have two of em, you really don't have one. Usually shortstops are either 1. Largely athletic or 2. Great hitters. Neither of these describe our shortstops. Everytime either Wilson came up to bat all I was hoping for was a hit by pitch. Not necessarily the offensive juggernaughts needed in the middle of the lineup.

3rd Base: I'll be the first to say it... I don't miss Jose Lopez, and that has nothing to do with the fact that he marks the tenth player who's jersey I bought that the very next year either was traded of retired. You 10 know who you are....

Outfield: Please sign Manny Ramirez!!! Just as a personal funny I'd love to see two gold glove winners play keep away from Man Ram in left field... Be like "Bad News Bears" all over again with Guti stealing all pop flies hit that direction. A more logical and economically friendly option would be to play Saunders more. At least when he accidentally hits the ball it travels outta the park. Been far too long since weve had one of those power hitting outfielders...You know the type, the ones that don't cost 4 times too much, or the ones who might as well not even bring a bat to the plate cuz they don't know how to hit anyways...
*coughs Milton Bradley*

Pitching: Since I'm sure MLB and Commissioner Bud Selig would frown upon cloning Felix Hernandez 4 times over were going to have to look for help else where... Not to mention, thanks to the movie "Multiplicity" we all know what happens when you accidentally clone a clone! Lets see, thus far we have for starting pitching Felix, Bedard (worst trade ever!), and 3 minor leaguers. Maybe we should bolster this somehow, so let us see whose on the free agent market shall we? How about Kevin Millwood, Brad Penny, Carl Pavano, or Andy Pettite? All of whom are former Aces who can help fill out a rotation.

Catcher: If it's not too much trouble I'd like to send one of our scouts to find Hector, the long lost Molina brother to come play catcher in Seattle. Last Mariners catcher I can remember who was worth a darn was Dan Wilson.. And while I'm on that subject here's a simple reguest for a new coaching staff... Know former Cleveland manager Eric Wedge just got here but we can fire him and just blame it on Lebron right?

Coaching Staff: Since most good managers seem to be former catchers i.e. Scioscia for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim or Yankees skipper Joe Girardi. I'd like to volunteer Dan Wilson as Manager. While were at it, why not Edgar Martinez as hitting coach? Or the ageless wonder that is Jamie Moyer as pitching coach? Jamie could set yet another all time record, along side most homeruns given up by a pithcer, by being the first ever player/pitching coach. After his Tommy John surgery heals he can just run himself out to the mound every 5th game. Be perfect! Heck lets even bring back Ken Griffey JR to be the bullpen coach, that way he can safely nap throught the first 6 innings some more.... Too soon???

Closer: Can we please trade David Aardsma for anything? Perhaps to Japan for more Ichiroles? All I know is I haven't been this nervous watching a D.A. in action since Harvey Dent turned into Two Face in the last Batman Movie...

Mariners Trade Rumors

2010-12-06T12:13:00.000-08:00

Last year the biggest Mariner Rumor ever Cliff Lee happened, we can't expect something like that but what is out there?

One Mariners rumor has them interested in the Orioles lefty bullpen arm Koji Uehara. Uehara is from Japan so that always makes a little sense for the Mariners plus he has nice stuff when he isn't injured. If the price is right we are in for buying. The Mariners are going up against the Brewers, Orioles, Red Sox and Twins for his services.

We know the Mariners rumors that they are interested in Zach Greinke, of course who isn't as so are the Twins,Rangers,Braves,Reds,Brewers... Our take is that the Royals want him out of the division and our thought is likely out of the American League so we don't see this one coming true. To us Grienke is a mystery anyways do we really want this guy at what it is going to take.

The big negative Mariners rumor is by Steve Henson over at Yahoo who says we are going to have trouble getting any free agents because the stench of loosing is becoming a lot like the Orioles. We don't think so, Seattle is a great place to live and the Mariners do have a better history, a respected up and coming GM and are committed. Bite us Henson.

Not a Mariners rumor but we should touch on the trade with the Rockies with us getting Chaz Roe for Jose Lopez. Nice move by the Mariners as we weren't keeping Lopez and Roe was a former first round pick with a decent arm. It is hard to believe the Rockies gave up on him as he is a sinker ball pitcher but 5.98 ERA last year in his first round of AAA likely did the trick. If the Rockies didn't feel he could play in their park we doubt he can play in the AL but little risk here.

With regards to Mariners rumors for pitchers the talk is we are likely after value free agents with past arm troubles such as Jeff Francis. That is great, we are all for value plays but you need to mix it in with the more sure things as well when you are in the Mariners position.

The Mariners are rumored to be after Jesse Crain of the Twins but he is a Type B free agent and we would have to give up a pick so with Z man at the draft helm we don't see that happening. It was fun to be included in the list though with the Rays, Dodgers, Rockies, Dbacks, Cubs, Orioles, Nationals and Jays.

If you have any comments on these Mariners Trade Rumors / Mariners rumors leave them below.

2010-04-08T13:33:00.000-07:00

Oh no, No Cliff Lee

2010-03-18T11:55:00.000-07:00

For five games. However it is still a big loss. Lee is currently in the process of appealing said suspension. The suspension was handed down of the heels of a bench clearing brawl that was instigated after Lee threw at D'backs Chris Snyder's head "with intention." Every now and again pitchers try to take that inside corner and occasionally the control isn't 100% and the pitch gets away. With that in mind 5 games seems a bit excessive, if the appeal goes in favor of Lee that suspension might be shaved down to 2-3 games.
I should also mention the bad blood between Lee and Snyder began a few innings earlier when the two had a confrontation at home plate when Lee went to cover. Still, Lee was trying to assert his authority during Snyder's next at bat and 1 little slip lead to a 5 game suspension. Lee has stated that he did not intentionally throw at Snyder.
That's all for now
Go Mariners!

The new work horse and the starting rotation

2010-03-04T17:29:00.000-08:00

The off season signings have netted some big fish. In my opinion the biggest contributor of these new additions is Chone Figgins. Figgins adds versatility and can play all outfield positions as well as 3rd and 2nd, figgins also brings a lively bat, look to see him bat in the 2 spot or the 9th, but where ever he bats he will look to reek havoc on the base paths as well. The starting rotation seems to be well set. Early reports indicate that he is working hard and coming in early for bp, focusing on handling pitches he shouldn't be swinging at.
In the rotation King Felix (Hernandez) and Cliff Lee look to be one of if not the most terrifying 1-2 punch in the Al west, if Erik Bedard can get back to the form of his 06-07 season and not let his injuries plague him we should be seeing big numbers in the win column. Coming off a steller seasons since he began Ryan Rowland-Smith will do a lot of damage to opposing lineups with that deadly slurve he throws. The 5th spot will go to whoever will have the strongest spring training, the 2 front runners is see taking the spot will be a dogfight between Ian Snell and Luke French.

That's all for now

Go mariners!

2009-06-24T09:37:00.001-07:00

Felix Hernandez Hits Grand Slam VS NY Mets (Santana) - June 23, 2008 - Video, Pictures

2008-06-23T18:08:00.001-07:00

Felix "King" Hernandez hit the first grand slam by a pitcher from the American League in 37 years against the New York Mets during there interleague game at Shea Stadium June 23, 2008. He hit the slam in the second inning off of the imposing Johan Santana.

The Indians Steve Dunning hit the last grand slam by an American League pitcher in 1971 against Oakland. His first home run made history as well as the first home run ever by a Mariners pitcher. Hernandez is now 2 for 9 for career batting with 5 RBI's. Hernandez interviewed after the game said he thought it was his first home run since little league.

Video Clip of Grand Slam

Seattle Mariners Baseball

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Seattle Mariners Baseball

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Seattle Mariners Baseball

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Seattle Mariners Baseball

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Seattle Mariners Baseball

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Seattle Mariners Baseball

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Seattle Mariners Baseball

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Seattle Mariners Baseball

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Seattle Mariners Baseball

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Seattle Mariners Baseball