Bellingham Mariners

{{Infobox Minor League Baseball

| name = Bellingham Mariners

| firstseason = 1977

| lastseason = 1994

| allyears =

| city = Bellingham, Washington

| class level = Class A-Short Season

| league = Northwest League

| pastmajorleague =

Seattle Mariners (1977–1994)
Los Angeles Dodgers (1973–1976)

| pastnames =

Bellingham Dodgers (1973–1976)

| classchamps =

| leaguenum = 4

| leaguechamps = {{hlist|1977|1980|1986|1992}}

| divnum = 7

| divisionchamps = {{hlist|1977|1980|1981|1983|1986|1992|1993}}

| colors = Navy blue, silver, northwest green
{{color box|#0C2C56}} {{color box|#C4CED4}} {{color box|#005C5C}}

|ballpark=Joe Martin Field}}{{Short description|Minor league baseball team (1977–1994)}}

{{Location map

|USA

| relief = 1

| label = {{small|Bellingham}}

| lat = 48.747

| long = -122.46

| caption = Location in the United States

| marksize = 5

| float =

| background =

| width = 295

}}

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.{{cite news |last=Lawrence |first=John |date=November 30, 1976 |title=Only one farm for the Mariners |page=A14 |work=The News Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115560548/only-one-farm-for-the-mariners/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=December 31, 2022}} 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.{{cite news |last=Sandsberry |first=Scott |date=August 8, 1977 |title=How good should the Bellingham Mariners be? |page=17 |work=The Bellingham Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115560584/how-good-should-the-bellingham-mariners/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=December 31, 2022}} 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.{{cite news |date=September 1, 1977 |title=M's dump Mavs for NWL title, 4-2 |page=11 |work=The Bellingham Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115560631/ms-dump-mavs-for-nwl-title-4-2/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=December 31, 2022}} Bobby Floyd earned the league's manager of the year award.{{Cite news |date=August 24, 1977 |title=Bellingham's Floyd manager of the year |page=18 |work=Corvallis Gazette-Times |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115560653/bellinghams-floyd-manager-of-the-year/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=December 31, 2022}} 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.{{cite news |last=Carberry |first=Jim |date=September 2, 1980 |title=M's, Emeralds named NWL co-champions |page=D1 |work=The Bellingham Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115560719/ms-emeralds-named-nwl-co-champions/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=December 31, 2022}} 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.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ARlXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cu8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=7081%2C1935634 |work=The Spokesman-Review |via=Google News Archive |title=Northwest League: Wednesday's results |date=June 19, 1987 |page=36}} A plaque was placed on the sidewalk outside the stadium where the ball landed.{{cite news |last=Baker |first=Geoff |author-link=Geoff Baker (journalist) |date=August 29, 2008 |title=Fun is No. 1 at Everett AquaSox games |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/mariners/2008145936_aquasox29.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080902011909/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/mariners/2008145936_aquasox29.html |archive-date=September 2, 2008 |access-date=November 1, 2008 |newspaper=Seattle Times}}

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.{{cite news |date=September 8, 1994 |title=Mariners drop Calgary, Bellingham |page=C3 |work=The Spokesman-Review |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115560764/mariners-drop-calgary-bellingham/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=December 31, 2022}} 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.{{cite news |last=Sleeper |first=John |date=January 8, 1995 |title=Giant changes in store |page=D1 |work=The Bellingham Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115560868/giant-changes-in-store/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=December 31, 2022}} The city government demurred on funding $100,000 in renovations to the team's ballpark amid the affiliation change.{{cite news |last=Sheehan |first=Kathy |date=September 11, 1994 |title=Questions fall into council's lap |page=A8 |work=The Bellingham Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115560814/questions-fall-into-councils-lap/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=December 31, 2022}}

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.{{cite web |url=http://www.bellinghambells.com/joemartinfield/history/ |publisher=Bellingham Bells |title=Joe Martin Field |access-date=September 2, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140901130219/http://www.bellinghambells.com/joemartinfield/history/ |archive-date=September 1, 2014 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |url=http://minors.baseball-reference.com/ |title=Minor League Baseball Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com |access-date=November 8, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006000520/http://minors.baseball-reference.com/ |archive-date=October 6, 2008 |url-status=dead }}

Season-by-season record

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%"
scope="col"\|Season !scope="col"\|PDC !scope="col"\|Division !scope="col"\|Finish !scope="col"\|Wins !scope="col"\|Losses !scope="col"\|Win% !scope="col"\|Post-season !scope="col"\|Manager !scope="col"\|Attendance
align="center" colspan="11" style="background:#002878; color: white; border:2px solid#FFCC00"\|Bellingham Mariners
1977 \| rowspan="18" \|SEA \|bgcolor="#D0E7FF"\|Affiliate \|1st \|42 \|26 \|.618 \|bgcolor="#EEDC82"\|Defeated Portland in championship series 2-1{{cite news \|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9flLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8PgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5437%2C106732 \|newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle \|title=Bellingham wins title \|agency=Associated Press \|date=September 1, 1977 \|page=22 \|via=Google News Archive}} \|Bobby Floyd \|36,730
1978 \|North \|3rd \|41 \|30 \|.577 \| \|Bob Didier \|29,739
1979 \|North \|2nd \|41 \|31 \|.569 \| \| rowspan="5" \|Jeff Scott \|31,741
1980 \|bgcolor="#D0E7FF"\|North \|1st \|45 \|25 \|.643 \|bgcolor="#EEDC82"\|Tied Eugene 1–1 (Game 3 cancelled due to rain) \|42,292
1981 \|bgcolor="#D0E7FF"\|North \|1st \|39 \|31 \|.557 \|Lost to Medford in championship series 2-0 \|21,390
1982 \|North \|2nd \|33 \|37 \|.471 \| \|17,211
1983 \|bgcolor="#D0E7FF"\|Washington \|1st \|40 \|28 \|.588 \|Lost to Medford in championship series 2-0 \|12,944
1984 \|Washington \|2nd \|39 \|35 \|.568 \| \| rowspan="2" \|Gary Pellant \|15,812
1985 \|Washington \|2nd \|39 \|35 \|.541 \| \|18,343
1986 \|bgcolor="#D0E7FF"\|Washington \|1st \|45 \|29 \|.608 \|bgcolor="#EEDC82"\|Defeated Eugene in championship series 1–0 \|Sal Rende \|14,916
1987 \|South \|4th \|30 \|46 \|.395 \| \| rowspan="4" \|Rick Sweet \|22,183
1988 \|North \|4th \|25 \|51 \|.329 \| \|15,015
1989 \|North \|3rd \|32 \|43 \|.427 \| \|31,685
1990 \|North \|3rd \|32 \|44 \|.421 \| \|52,461
1991 \|North \|2nd \|37 \|39 \|.487 \| \| rowspan="2" \|Dave Myers \|60,484
1992 \|bgcolor="#D0E7FF"\|North \|1st \|43 \|33 \|.566 \|bgcolor="#EEDC82"\|Defeated Bend in championship series 2–0 \|68,928
1993 \|bgcolor="#D0E7FF"\|North \|1st \|44 \|32 \|.579 \|Lost to Boise in championship series 2-0 \| rowspan="2" \|Mike Goff \|74,900
1994 \|North \|2nd \|42 \|34 \|.553 \| \|71,256

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%"

scope="col"|Season

!scope="col"|PDC

!scope="col"|Division

!scope="col"|Finish

!scope="col"|Wins

!scope="col"|Losses

!scope="col"|Win%

!scope="col"|Post-season

!scope="col"|Manager

!scope="col"|Attendance

align="center" colspan="11" style="background:#002878; color: white; border:2px solid#FFCC00"|Bellingham Mariners

1977

| rowspan="18" |SEA

|bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|Affiliate

|1st

|42

|26

|.618

|bgcolor="#EEDC82"|Defeated Portland in championship series 2-1{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9flLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8PgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5437%2C106732 |newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |title=Bellingham wins title |agency=Associated Press |date=September 1, 1977 |page=22 |via=Google News Archive}}

|Bobby Floyd

|36,730

1978

|North

|3rd

|41

|30

|.577

|Bob Didier

|29,739

1979

|North

|2nd

|41

|31

|.569

| rowspan="5" |Jeff Scott

|31,741

1980

|bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|North

|1st

|45

|25

|.643

|bgcolor="#EEDC82"|Tied Eugene 1–1 (Game 3 cancelled due to rain)

|42,292

1981

|bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|North

|1st

|39

|31

|.557

|Lost to Medford in championship series 2-0

|21,390

1982

|North

|2nd

|33

|37

|.471

|17,211

1983

|bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|Washington

|1st

|40

|28

|.588

|Lost to Medford in championship series 2-0

|12,944

1984

|Washington

|2nd

|39

|35

|.568

| rowspan="2" |Gary Pellant

|15,812

1985

|Washington

|2nd

|39

|35

|.541

|18,343

1986

|bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|Washington

|1st

|45

|29

|.608

|bgcolor="#EEDC82"|Defeated Eugene in championship series 1–0

|Sal Rende

|14,916

1987

|South

|4th

|30

|46

|.395

| rowspan="4" |Rick Sweet

|22,183

1988

|North

|4th

|25

|51

|.329

|15,015

1989

|North

|3rd

|32

|43

|.427

|31,685

1990

|North

|3rd

|32

|44

|.421

|52,461

1991

|North

|2nd

|37

|39

|.487

| rowspan="2" |Dave Myers

|60,484

1992

|bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|North

|1st

|43

|33

|.566

|bgcolor="#EEDC82"|Defeated Bend in championship series 2–0

|68,928

1993

|bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|North

|1st

|44

|32

|.579

|Lost to Boise in championship series 2-0

| rowspan="2" |Mike Goff

|74,900

1994

|North

|2nd

|42

|34

|.553

|71,256

Source: Baseball Reference{{Cite web |title=Bellingham, Washington Encyclopedia |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?city=Bellingham&state=WA&country=US |access-date=2025-04-10 |website=Baseball-Reference.com |language=en}}

class="wikitable" border="1"

bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|Division winner

|bgcolor="#EEDC82"|League champions