Your Expansion Seattle Mariners!!!

[BoilerRocketScientist]

01/21/1985 - Veteran SP Reuschel Settles on Padres

San Diego has come to an agreement with hard working starting pitcher Rick Reuschel which will keep the 35-year-old in town for 3 years and pay out $2,430,000. San Diego fans, although somewhat skeptical of his age, figure to be pleased when they see Reuschel at the park early every day for practice. In his career Reuschel has tossed 3217 innings, fanned 1844 batters and walked 909. His lifetime won-lost record is 190 wins and 171 losses with a 3.39 ERA.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

01/24/1985 - $1,650,000 Lands SS Smith for Tigers

Detroit announced the signing of shortstop Ozzie Smith earlier today, ending speculation on who they would acquire to fill the void at that position. Smith will earn $550,000 per year, and will be with the club for 3 years. In his career Smith has hit for a .265 average and totaled 538 hits, 9 home runs and 208 RBIs.

And, in a bizarre move, Detroit will be playing Smith at 3B as they have Alan Trammell as their everyday shortstop. It's AI moves like this that frustrate me. The Yankees signed George Brett several years ago where he was installed at shortstop with Mike Schmidt already at third base. Brett manged to record 78 errors in 129 games at shortstop.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

01/30/1985 - San Francisco Inks Star MR to $564,000 Deal

The Giants pulled out all the stops today to announce the signing of reliever Neil Allen. The 27-year-old is one of the game's preeminent playmakers and has definitely proven why he was such an attractive signing. The contract is a 2-year deal worth $564,000. To date in his career, Allen has pitched in 313 games, piling up 59 saves with 260 Ks in 372.1 innings. He has a record of 22-29 and a 3.41 ERA.

01/31/1985 - Veteran Rogers Signs 2-Year Deal

The Cubs and Steve Rogers reached an accord earlier today which brings the starting pitcher to town for 2 years. Rogers will pocket $1,840,000 total and is widely expected to contribute significantly to the club's playoff drive. Rogers has gone 171-148 with an ERA of 3.40 in his career, piling up 1667 strikeouts in 2801.2 innings pitched.

01/31/1985 - $1,280,000 Brings Wayne Cage to San Francisco

Fans in San Francisco ushered in Wayne Cage today as their new first baseman. The 33-year-old came to terms with the Giants and will be hauling in $640,000 a year over 2 years. In his career Cage has racked up 814 hits with a .267 average and .359 on-base percentage. His numbers include 155 doubles, 6 triples, and 83 home runs, along with 405 runs scored and 390 RBIs.

02/03/1985 - St. Louis Cardinals, Twins Agree to Trade

A trade was announced today at a press conference in St. Louis. Not satisfied with their current roster, the St. Louis Cardinals general manager shook things up by acquiring 31-year-old reliever Rick Camp and 21-year-old minor league center fielder Darrin Jackson from the Minnesota Twins for 25-year-old shortstop Steve Sax. The Cardinals general manager said, "We're a better team now. We've added several pieces to the puzzle."

In his career Sax has played in 494 games, batted .281 with 15 home runs and 491 base hits. In his lifetime totals Camp has 12 saves with a 27-27 record and a 3.95 ERA.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

02/14/1985 - Atlanta Pulls Off Two Deals

Team insiders were tight-lipped prior to today's deal that brought 37-year-old catcher Johnny Bench to Atlanta. Bench is considered one of the league's A-list players and certainly will enhance any chances the Braves have to win a playoff spot this year. In 2540 career games Bench has hit .269 with 2527 hits, 483 home runs, 1692 RBIs and scored 1412 runs. Desptie his age, Bench was the crown jewel of the free agent off-season and he inked a 3-year, $4.14M contract giving him the highest salary in the majors.

In a second announcement, Atlanta officials were grinning from ear to ear as they introduced their latest blockbuster signing to the media earlier today. Bob McClure, one of the game's marquee talents, opted for the Braves after receiving a 3-year, $1,022,000 offer. McClure has made 424 games with 121 saves in his career. His record includes 34 wins and 40 losses with a 2.64 ERA and 402 strikeouts in 554.2 innings.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

02/15/1985 - Star SP Fulgham Settles on Kansas City

Rumors of a deal between John Fulgham and Kansas City finally bore fruit today as the two sides faced a packed press corps. Royals officials looked very pleased as they outlined the terms of the new deal. Fulgham will earn $990,000 per year for 4 years, and is expected to make a solid addition to his new club. Through the years Fulgham has fashioned a 90-77 mark, 3.67 ERA and thrown 1460.1 innings. Opposing clubs are batting .262 lifetime against him and he has logged 840 career strikeouts.

02/15/1985 - Royals, Braves Swap Players

The Kansas City Royals have finalized a deal that will send 37-year-old first baseman Don Money to Atlanta for 34-year-old catcher Brian Downing. Minor details still need to be worked out before the trade becomes official, but the players involved are expected to be with their new clubs soon. In 2212 games, Money is a lifetime .258 hitter. He has knocked in 1036 runs, scored 1053 times, hit 257 home runs, walked 837 times and has an on-base percentage of .330. Lifetime Downing is batting .258 and has hit 89 home runs.

02/16/1985 - Superstar Lavelle Signs with Los Angeles

Los Angeles came to terms with veteran closer Gary Lavelle today, locking up the 36-year-old to a $2,460,000, 3-year deal. So far in his career Lavelle has appeared in 565 games and saved 249 games. His lifetime record is 47-42 with 511 strikeouts and 257 walks in 684.1 innings and his ERA stands at 2.24.

02/16/1985 - California Wins MR Sambito Sweepstakes

The Angels pulled out all the stops today to announce the signing of reliever Joe Sambito. The 32-year-old is one of the game's preeminent playmakers and has definitely proven why he was such an attractive signing. The contract is a 3-year deal worth $1,304,000. Since he broke in, Sambito has picked up 34 wins, 32 losses and 120 saves. He has posted a 2.60 ERA and recorded 388 strikeouts in 532.1 innings.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

Here's the pre-Spring Training predictions. It looks like Seattle and New York are shoo-ins for the AL West and NL East, respectively, while the AL East and NL West look to be more of a tossup.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

We ended up finishing the spring with a 17-7 record, good enough for the best record in the majors. Dion James led the team hitting .405, Greg Walker led the team with 5 HR’s and Walker shared the RBI lead with Dave Stapleton with 13 RBI’s. Reliever Brad Lesley led the team with 3 victories in relief but it wasn’t enough to go back north with the team and he’ll start the season in Triple-A. We came through the spring with only 1 injury. Pitcher Alan Wirth ruptured his ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching arm and will be lost for a year.

Here’s the team that’s heading north to the Emerald City.

C: Dale Murphy
1B: Greg Walker
2B: Paul Molitor
SS: Dave Stapleton
3B: Tim Wallach
LF: Bill Buckner
CF: Oddibe McDowell (R)
RF: Jack Clark
DH: Dion James

Reserves: Mike Heath (C, RF), Andre Robertson (2B/SS), Cal Ripken (SS/3B), Barry Bonnell (2B/3B/LF/CF/RF), Gerald Perry (1B/LF)
Starting Pitchers: Bill Gullickson, Neal Heaton, Mike Witt, Floyd Bannister, Burt Hooton
Relievers: Ralph Citarella, Joe Cowley, Greg Harris, Enrique Romo, Buddy Schultz, Tom Gorman (CL)

[BoilerRocketScientist]

Who has the richest contracts going into the 1985 season?

Johnny Bench, ATL, $1,380,000
Lou Whitaker, KCA, $1,220,000
Dan Graham, NYN, $1,100,000
John Fulgham, KCA, $990,000
Bob Horner, HOU, $980,000

[BoilerRocketScientist]

Montreal's John Montefusco was right on the mark today at Riverfront Stadium in a sensational no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds, shutting them down 1-0. He chalked up 3 strikeouts and gave up 4 walks in a game he could really brag about. "You might say I was the best pitcher in the league today and you would be right."

Montefusco has offended some fans and sportswriters with confidence that sometimes borders on arrogance. The Montreal skipper told reporters in the postgame interview, "He tossed a masterpiece today and it ain't braggin' if you can back it up. Today he certainly did just that." A reporter asked Montefusco if he thought the fans would appreciate his perceived greatness after this game. With a big grin on his face, he quickly quipped, "Listen, if you start worrying about the people in the stands, before too long you're up in the stands with them."

Montreal's only run came on a 2nd inning solo homer from Dave Kingman off of loser Charlie Leibrandt (0-1) who signed a 1-year free agent contract this past March.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

Officials for Seattle confirmed that they have traded 24-year-old minor league third baseman Tom O'Malley and 31-year-old minor league first baseman Al Woods to the Los Angeles Dodgers. In return, the Mariners will receive 25-year-old minor league center fielder Kirby Puckett. His all-time numbers show Woods has compiled a .295 batting average and collected 733 hits, 40 home runs and 317 RBIs.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

April is over and we're down 1.5 games to the Angels. The biggest surprise this season has been Toronto who's held on to first in the AL East for most of the month. Since joining the league in 1977, the Blue Jays have never finished higher than 5th place and have never won more than 69 games in a season.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

American League

Top Batter: Greg Brock (CAL) - .321, 10 HR's, 20 RBI's, 21 Runs

Top Pitcher: Danny Cox (CLE) - 4-0, 1.34 ERA, 18 K's in 33.2 Innings

Rookie: Jose Canseco (TOR) - .287, 4 2B's, 4 HR's, 15 RBI's

National League:

Top Batter: Brad Komminsk (ATL) - .342, 5 HR's, 15 RBI's, 15 Runs

Top Pitcher: Frank Pastore (LAD) - 4-1, 1.60 ERA, 21 K's in 39.1 Innings

Rookie: Jerry Willard (SD) - .317, 7 HR's, 15 RBI's

[BoilerRocketScientist]

05/01/1985 - Stewart Spins Masterpiece, No-Hits Minnesota

In a brilliant performance at Tiger Stadium, Detroit pitcher Dave Stewart entered an elite group today by tossing a no-hitter against the Minnesota Twins. Hurling a complete game he fanned 7 and walked 4 in the 1-0 victory. In the clubhouse, Stewart said, "I was getting my off-speed stuff over so they couldn't sit on the fastball. My guys made some nice plays behind me, too, and cut off several hits." In pitching stats this season Stewart has rung up 1 win and 3 losses in 5 games. He has an ERA of 4.61 and has fanned 20 batters in 27.1 innings.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

05/03/1985 - Minnesota Over Baltimore 11-0, 250-th Win for Blyleven

What would you do after you had just won your 250th game? Run around Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome doing cartwheels, jumping for joy and waving to the crowd? Well, maybe you and I would do that, but not Bert Blyleven -- that's not his way. After he notched number 250, the 34-year-old Minnesota hurler spoke to the press like he always has -- in a soft, quiet voice. He wasn't doing any cartwheels or even anything resembling a jump for joy. "Obviously it feels very good," Blyleven commented. "To win this many games, you've got to have a lot of help."

Blyleven got his milestone victory by beating the Baltimore Orioles 11-0. He held them to 3 hits in 9 innings and rung up 6 strikeouts with 4 walks. After sharing his thoughts with the press, he went to the clubhouse. There he was greeted by the guys who had helped him get #250. His teammates showered him with champagne and then gave him a rousing round of applause. That got to him -- for the first time today, Blyleven's face broke into a big smile.

Over his career Blyleven has 250 victories and 220 defeats with a 3.22 ERA. The 34-year-old hurler also has struck out 3173 batters in 4148.2 innings and surrendered 3773 hits.

[Loeffle]

Originally Posted by BoilerRocketScientist

Towards the end of the 1977 season, I re-signed several players - Ralph Garr (LF), Diego Sequi (SP), Bob Stinson (C), Steve Braun (3B), and Steve Renko (SP). As luck would have it, the day after I signed Renko, he promptly blew out his right elbow in his next start and would be lost for 10 months - doh!!!

My draft slot was number 11. The Toronto Blue Jays selected first and took outfielder Lonnie Smith. The next 9 slots were starting pitchers that included such luminaries as Scott Sanderson, Bob Welch, and Mike Morgan.

At spot number 11 I was overjoyed to take Paul Molitor!!! I followed in subsequent rounds Phil Nastu (SP), Dave Geisel (MR), Dave Rajsich (MR), and Brian Doyle (2B).

Free agent signings include Rich Gossage, Bill Buckner (my favorite player when I was growing up), Fergie Jenkins, and I coaxed Phil Niekro out of an early retirement. Jenkins and Niekro should be an upgrade for my starting pitching while Buckner should help my offense.

Sorry to ask, but how does resigning players in this era work? When I got it right they are not automatic free-agents?
So you can just decide which players to keep and release those you don't want to keep?

[BoilerRocketScientist]

Loeffle, I'm assuming that things go by major league rules as I think there was free agency at this time, right? Regardless, as my players' contracts ran out I could either re-sign them or just let them go test the market.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

05/13/1985 - Doug Rau Reaches 200 Wins

Doug Rau of the Texas Rangers pitched his way into the exclusive 200-win club today at Tiger Stadium by stopping the Detroit Tigers 6-0. In his historic outing, he surrendered 4 hits and no runs in 9 innings with 4 strikeouts and 1 walk. With a huge grin on his face, the 36-year-old Rau told reporters after the game, "Now I got to get real busy -- and start working on my next 200 wins." Rau has a won-lost record of 200 wins and 146 losses with 1750 strikeouts and a lifetime 3.12 ERA.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

05/18/1985 - Cubs Winning Streak Ends at 14

The Cubs entered May in last place in the NL East with a 7-11 record. Then, the defending champs reeled off 14 straight wins before losing 9-7 to Atlanta. Despite the loss, their epic streak catapulted them to first place with a 2-game lead over the Mets in the East. Rookie third baseman Jack Howell is leading the way this month hitting .400 with 4 homers and 16 RBI's while starters Orel Hershiser and Steve Rogers have won each of their 3 starts.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

05/25/1985 - Goltz Beats White Sox 6-2 for 200th Win

The Royals Dave Goltz wrote his name in the league history books by picking up career victory number 200 today against the Chicago White Sox. In the Kansas City 6-2 triumph at Royals Stadium, the 35-year-old hurler went 8.1 innings, allowed 9 hits and had 4 strikeouts and 1 walk. "I won't forget this day," an emotional Goltz told reporters. "It's hard to stay at the top for so long and to win 200 games is quite a feat."

Goltz has collected 200 wins and 137 losses over his career with a 3.61 ERA. The 35-year-old hurler also has struck out 1572 batters in 3024.1 innings and allowed 3093 hits. In real life, Goltz managed a 113-109 record in 12 seasons.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

05/28/1985 - Rice Booms 300th Homer

"I wasn't trying to hit a homer. I just wanted to make contact."
That's what Jim Rice told reporters after he made baseball history today at Royals Stadium. The prolific slugger belted home run #300 in the Texas Rangers 8-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals. The standout left fielder collected 1 hit in 4 at-bats with 2 runs batted in and 1 run scored.

"I guess this puts me in baseball's elite," said Rice. "I don't feel any different. I probably should, but I don't. Still, it is a nice achievement. I did get a little excited, didn't I?" A check of his lifetime stats shows Rice has played in 1634 games with a .281 batting average. Among his 1817 hits are 300 home runs. He also has scored 897 runs and driven in 1159 runs.