1986 Seattle Mariners 67-95

This was the 10th straight year, since their inception that the M’s finished below .500.  They would go another 5 years before actually finishing above the half way mark for the first time in franchise history.  To say that the M’s were the AL’s perennial doormat would be like saying politicians lie.  It just didn’t need to be said.  Playing in the uninspiring Kingdome didn’t make matters any better.

The offense relied heavily on the long ball, with 3 guys hitting over twenty round trippers.  Jim Presley (.265-27-107) was the key man in the lineup.   A young Danny Tartabull would chip in 25 dingers, but his 157 strikeouts made him a feast or famine guy.  DH Ken Phelps hit 24 homers, but his .247 BA would scare no one.  Thankfully the M’s would find a willing sucker in George Steinbrenner 2 years later to take this load off their hands and give them All-Star Jay Buhner for the next decade +.  Dave Henderson and Spike Owen would show lots of promise to the fans, but they were gone by mid season in a block buster deal with the Red Sox.  The deal sealed the pennant for the Bosox and returned 4 stiffs (Mike Brown, Mike Trujillo, Rey Quinones & John Christenson) to the M’s.

The pitching ranked 13th in a 14 team league.  Not one starter had an ERA under 4.30.  Mike Moore (11-13, 4.30) was considered the ace.  He led the team in 11 complete games, which was more due to the fact that the bullpen stunk than his skill in closing the door.  A young Mark Langston (12-14, 4.85) was on the threshold of stardom.  His 245 strikeouts in 239 innings made him the most coveted young lefty in the game.  He just needed to work out the kinks before he would find his potential.  The staff was so desperate for veteran leadership, they brought in Tiger retread Milt Wilcox (0-8, 5.50) in an attempt to recharge his career, which 2 years earlier culminated in a World Championship in Motown.  Wilcox, at the age of 36, was done.  In fact he would never win another game in the majors.

The pen was slightly below average and could be considered a strength, when put in the perspective that this team’s ERA was 4.65.  Matt Young (8-6, 3.82, 13 sv) was not only the closer, but he was the pens’ workhorse.  Logging 103 innings Young will be asked to perform the impossible:  Protect the few leads that the starters hand off to him.  Pete Ladd was also 8-6 out of the pen, which tells you that this team probably won more games with late comebacks that by holding early leads.  Lee Gutterman (0-4, 7.34) is the lefty specialist who can’t get anyone out.  His 1.816 WHIP might be the worst in the league.  Expect to see him only in games where the M’s are down by 10 or up by 10.