The Seattle Mariners 1989 season was their 13th since the franchise creation, and the team finished sixth in the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

, with a record of . The Mariners were led by first-year manager

Jim Lefebvre James Kenneth Lefebvre ( ; born January 7, 1942) is a former major league baseball player, coach, and manager. An infielder, he was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1962. Baseball career Playing career Lefebvre was th ...

and the season was enlivened by the arrival of nineteen-year-old Ken Griffey Jr., the first overall pick of the 1987 draft.

Offseason

*November 15, 1988:

Luis DeLeón Luis Antonio DeLeón Tricoche (born August 19, 1958, in Ponce, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball pitcher. He pitched all or parts of seven seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between and . He was the co- closer for ...

was signed as a free agent by the Mariners. *In spring training, Ken Griffey Jr. set preseason team records for hits (32), RBIs (20) and total bases (49).Mint Condition: How Baseball Cards Became an American Obsession, p.167, Dave Jamieson, 2010, Atlantic Monthly Press, imprint of Grove/Atlantic Inc., New York,

Regular season

*Ken Griffey Jr. made his major league baseball debut on opening day, April 3, against the defending league champion Oakland Athletics. Griffey hit a double in his first at-bat. During the 1989 season, Griffey was honored by being selected as card number one in the 1989

Upper Deck The Upper Deck Company, LLC (colloquially as Upper Deck and Upper Deck Authenticated, Ltd. in the UK), founded in 1988, is a private company primarily known for producing trading cards. Its headquarters are in Carlsbad, California, United State ...

baseball card set. *The Mariners had the lowest payroll in the majors in , at $7.6 million. *Owner

George Argyros George Leon Argyros (born February 4, 1937) is an American former diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Spain. He is also a real estate investor and philanthropist. Argyros was the owner of Major League Baseball's Seattle Marine ...

sold the team in August to a group headed by

Jeff Smulyan Jeffrey Howard Smulyan (born April 6, 1947 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is the founder and chief executive officer of Emmis Communications. Early life and education Smulyan is the son of Natalie and Sam Smulyan. He has one brother and one sister. H ...

of Indianapolis.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Notable transactions

* March 27:

Steve Balboni Stephen Charles Balboni (; born January 16, 1957) is an American former Major League Baseball player, who played for the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals, and Texas Rangers. He was a player with home run power and a tendency ...

was traded by the Mariners to the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of ...

for Dana Ridenour (minors). * May 25:

Mark Langston Mark Edward Langston (born August 20, 1960) is an American former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched for the Seattle Mariners (1984–1989), Montreal Expos (1989), California / Anaheim Angels (1990–1997), San Diego Padres (1 ...

and a player to be named later were traded by the Mariners to the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

for

Randy Johnson Randall David Johnson (born September 10, 1963), nicknamed "The Big Unit", is an American photographer and former professional baseball pitcher who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (1988–2009) for six teams, primarily the Seattle M ...

Brian Holman Brian Scott Holman (born January 25, 1965) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Holman's brother Brad Holman and stepfather Dick LeMay also were Major League pitchers. Amateur career Holman started his high school baseball career at Au ...

, and Gene Harris. The Mariners completed the deal by sending Mike Campbell to the Expos on July 31. *June 5: Brian Turang was drafted by the Mariners in the 51st round of the 1989 amateur draft. *June 12: Steve Trout was released by the Mariners.

Major league debuts

*Batters: **Ken Griffey Jr. (Apr 3) **Omar Vizquel (Apr 3) *Pitchers: **Gene Harris (Apr 5) **Clint Zavaras (June 3)

Roster

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

''Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; Avg. = Batting average; SB = Stolen bases'' :

Other batters

''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''

Pitching

Starting pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Other pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Relief pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Farm system

:Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., ''The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball'', 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007

References

External links

1989 Seattle Mariners at Baseball Reference.com1989 Seattle Mariners team page at www.baseball-almanac.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:1989 Seattle Mariners Season Seattle Mariners seasons

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The team joined the American League as an expansion team ...

Seattle Mariners season