The Bellingham Mariners were a Minor League Baseball team in the Class A-Short Season Northwest League, based in Bellingham, Washington. The club served as the Seattle Mariners' short-season affiliate from 1977 to 1994.
History Major League Baseball returned to Seattle in 1977 with the expansion Mariners of the American League. Bellingham signed a player development contract with Seattle and adopted their parent club's identity, taking the name Mariners. Bellingham had an agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1973 to 1976 and was called the Bellingham Dodgers.
Also referred to as Baby M's, the team would serve as Seattle's only affiliate in their inaugural season. The Northwest League had two divisions, one for teams with affiliations and the other for independents. Bellingham won the affiliate division with a 42–26 record and played the Portland Mavericks for the league championship. In a best of three series, Bellingham and Portland split the first two games. The Baby M's held off the Mavericks by a score of 4–2 in the decisive game to claim the 1977 Northwest League crown. Bobby Floyd earned the league's manager of the year award. The Mariners continued their on-field success with nearly identical records, going 41–30 and 41–31 in 1978 and 1979, respectively.
In 1980, Bellingham amassed a 45–25 en route to a North Division title. The Baby M's faced the Eugene Emeralds in the league championship series, which they split during the first two games. The decisive third game was cancelled due to rain; as a result, the Mariners and Emeralds were named Northwest League co-champions. The club witnessed a significant jump in attendance, with 42,292 passing through the turnstiles.
Seeking to repeat as league champions, the Baby M's claimed the north division in 1981. Bellingham faced the Medford A's in the championship series but were swept in two games. Two seasons later in 1983, with a roster that included future Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez, the Mariners claimed the division title with a 40–28 record. Bellingham was again defeated by a large margin by Medford in the championship series. In 1984 and 1985, the Baby M's posted mirror finishes at 39-35 taking second in the Washington division standings.
In 1987, 17-year-old Ken Griffey Jr. hit his first professional home run while on the road at Everett Memorial Stadium on June 18. A plaque was placed on the sidewalk outside the stadium where the ball landed.
Despite on-field success and a steady stream of Mariners prospects, the club struggled with poor attendance. Following the 1994 season, the Mariners ended their relationship with Bellingham. Seattle moved their affiliation south to Everett were the team assumed a new identity as the Everett AquaSox. Everett, who had been affiliated with the San Francisco Giants, swapped with Seattle and moved their short-season affiliation to Bellingham. Bellingham assumed their parent club's moniker to become the Bellingham Giants in 1995. The city government demurred on funding $100,000 in renovations to the team's ballpark amid the affiliation change.
Ballpark Bellingham played at Joe Martin Field, a venue with a seating capacity near 1,600. Since 1999, the ballpark serves as the home of the Bellingham Bells of the collegiate summer West Coast League.
Season-by-season record SeasonPDCDivisionFinishWinsLossesWin%PostseasonManagerAttendanceBellingham Mariners1977SEAAffiliate 1st4226.618Defeated Portland in championship series 2–1Bobby Floyd36,7301978North3rd4130.577Bob Didier29,7391979North2nd4131.569Jeff Scott31,7411980North1st4525.643Tied Eugene 1–1 (Game 3 cancelled due to rain)42,2921981North1st3931.557Lost to Medford in championship series 2–021,3901982North2nd3337.47117,2111983Washington1st4028.588Lost to Medford in championship series 2–012,9441984Washington2nd3935.568Gary Pellant15,8121985Washington2nd3935.54118,3431986Washington1st4529.608Defeated Eugene in championship series 1–0Sal Rende14,9161987South4th3046.395Rick Sweet22,1831988North4th2551.32915,0151989North3rd3243.42731,6851990North3rd3244.42152,4611991North2nd3739.487Dave Myers60,4841992North1st4333.566Defeated Bend in championship series 2–068,9281993North1st4432.579Lost to Boise in championship series 2–0Mike Goff74,9001994North2nd4234.55371,256 Source: Baseball Reference Division winner League champions
Hall of Fame alumni
Ken Griffey Jr. (1987) Inducted, 2016 Edgar Martinez (1983) Inducted, 2019
Notable players The following MLB all-stars played for Bellingham:
Phil Bradley Iván Calderón Shawn Estes Ken Griffey Jr. Mike Hampton Dave Henderson Raúl Ibañez Mark Langston Derek Lowe Edgar Martinez Jim Presley Dave Stewart Omar Vizquel Matt Young
See also Bellingham Mariners players
References