The Seattle Mariners joined the Major Leagues as an expansion team in the 1977 season, playing on the Astroturf field at the indoor Kingdome. The team moved to a new, outdoor, grass field when the Safeco Field opened in 1999.

Throughout the nearly 30-year life of the team, the Mariners have secured a very strong base of local fans, who love the team and buy Mariners tickets no matter what kind of season the team is having. And though the fans may not have gotten the satisfaction of seeing their team make it to the World Series, the fantastic players who have graced the Mariners ballparks have made watching the team worthwhile.

Alvin Davis, nicknamed “Mr. Mariner” during his years with the team, was a world-class first baseman, not to mention a strong hitter. In his eight years with the Mariners, Davis set offensive records for the team that lasted long after his retirement. Davis came up through the Mariners’ minor league teams to take Rookie of the Year honors in 1984, as well as an invitation to the All-Star game that year. Davis was also the first player inducted into the team’s own Hall of Fame.

Through the 1990s, fans clamored for baseball tickets to watch outfielder Ken Griffey, Jr.. Griffey was named MVP in 1997, and was honored as an All-Star ten times in his Mariners career. In fact, he was the first Mariner ever to play as a starter in an All-Star game, in 1990. Before moving to the Reds in 2000, Griffey received ten consecutive Gold Gloves and seven Silver Slugger awards.

The 1990s also brought fans such players as pitcher Randy Johnson, right fielder Jay “Bone” Buhner, and the great shortstop Alex Rodriguez, who won four Silver Slugger awards in his time with the Mariners. Long-time manager Lou Piniella even scored two American League Manager of the Year awards.

Since the turn of the century, Mariners fans have cheered for second baseman Bret Boone, winner of multiple Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards. Perhaps the best known and loved Mariner since 2001 has been Ichiro Suzuki, another outstanding outfielder who has collected Rookie of the Year and MVP awards, as well as a Silver Slugger and four Gold Gloves.

Though the team has yet to make a World Series appearance, the Mariners have developed well in the last decade, making four trips to the playoffs. Even when the team finishes out of the post-season, though, fans purchase Mariners tickets. Attendance for the team in Safeco Field consistently ranks among the best in the league.