Mariners fans weren't happy in 2001 when star shortstop Alex Rodriguez bolted to the rival Texas Rangers in free agency, signing a 10-year, $252 million deal that was the largest in baseball history at the time. So when A-Rod returned for the first time, two weeks into his first season in Texas, he was greeted with thunderous boos ... and a stadium filled with fans throwing fake money at their former favorite. One fan dangled a dollar bill off a fishing pole over Rodriguez' head as he stood in the on-deck circle, and the swirling winds carried fake bills printed with A-Rod's face all around the stadium.
Ichiro Suzuki won the AL MVP, AL Rookie of the Year, and Gold Glove Awards in 2001, becoming the first player since the 1975 Boston Red Sox's Fred Lynn to win all three in the same season.
Félix Hernández, nicknamed "King Félix", shut down the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0 at Safeco Field on August 15, 2012. It was the 23rd perfect game in Major League Baseball history.
The 2008 off-season saw a litany of roster moves, headlined by a 12-player, 3-team trade that included sending All-Star closer J. J. Putz to the New York Mets and brought 5 players--including prospect Mike Carp and outfielder Endy Chávez from New York and outfielder Franklin Gutiérrez from the Cleveland Indians--to Seattle.
In 1995, there were rumors the Mariners might relocate to the Tampa area. Edgar Martínez' game-winning double in the 11th inning of Game 5 not only clinched a series win for the Mariners, but served as a powerful impetus to preserve baseball in Seattle and has since become an iconic moment in team history.
Harold Reynolds was an All-Star in 1987, leading the American League with 60 stolen bases. He was the only player other than Rickey Henderson to lead the American League in stolen bases during any season in the 1980s.
Randy Johnson broke out in 1993, posting a 19-8 record, 3.24 ERA, and his first of six 300-plus strikeout seasons (308).
In 2004, Moyer went 7-13 and posted his first losing record since 1994. His ERA was 5.21 and he surrendered an MLB-leading 44 home runs.
On April 10, 1977, during his first game of the season, designated hitter Juan Bernhardt got five hits against the California Angels, including a home run, in five at-bats. Not only was it Bernhardt's first career home run, but it was also the first home run in Mariners history.
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