2001 Seattle Mariners | ||
---|---|---|
American League West Champions | ||
League | American League | |
Division | West | |
Ballpark | Safeco Field | |
City | Seattle, Washington | |
Record | 116–46 (.716) | |
Divisional place | 1st | |
Owners | Hiroshi Yamauchi (represented by Howard Lincoln) | |
General managers | Pat Gillick | |
Managers | Lou Piniella | |
Television | KSTW-TV 11 FSN Northwest (Dave Niehaus, Rick Rizzs, Ron Fairly, Dave Valle, Dave Henderson, Tom Paciorek) | |
Radio | KIRO 710 AM (Dave Niehaus, Rick Rizzs, Ron Fairly, Dave Valle, Dave Henderson) | |
|
The Seattle Mariners' 2001 season was the 25th since the franchise's inception. They finished with a 116-46 (.71605) record, tying the major league record for wins in the modern era (since 1901) set by the 1906 Chicago Cubs,[1] and setting the record for wins by an American League team. From a winning percentage record, it would only be surpassed in modern baseball by the 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers, who finished 43-17 (.71667) in a pandemic-shortened season.
Of those wins, 59 were by four or more runs, a record for the number of games won by such a margin.[2] They also led the majors in both runs scored and fewest runs allowed.
The 2001 season was also notable for the Major League debut of star Japanese outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, who led the league in batting average and won both the AL Rookie of the Year and the AL MVP awards. Additionally, the Mariners hosted their second All-Star Game during the season.
Winning the American League West, the 2001 season marked the first (and to date, only) time the Mariners reached the postseason in consecutive seasons. The team defeated the Cleveland Indians in the ALDS in five games, but fell to the New York Yankees in five games in the ALCS. They became the first team in MLB history to win 110 or more regular season games and fail to reach the World Series. They would later be joined in this regard by the 2022 Los Angeles Dodgers.
Despite the record-setting win total, the Mariners would not reach the postseason again until 2022, which was the longest active drought in the four major North American sports.
© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search