1995 American League West tie-breaker game
Encyclopedia
The 1995 American League West tie-breaker game was a one-game playoff
for Major League Baseball's
AL West
division championship, played on October 2, between the California Angels
and Seattle Mariners
at the Kingdome
in Seattle. The game was necessitated due to both teams finishing the strike-shortened 144 game season with identical records of 78–66. Seattle won the game by a score of 9–1, securing its first playoff berth in franchise history.
The game matched two highly unlikely teams: The Angels had not been to the postseason since , and had not finished above third place in the American League West since. On the other hand, the Mariners had never been to the postseason, and before 1995 only had two seasons with a winning percentage
above .500. With less than two months left in the 1995 regular season, the Angels held a comfortable lead in the AL West standings, 11 games ahead
of the second-place Texas Rangers
and 13 games ahead of the third-place Mariners. However, the Mariners mounted a late-season comeback, coupled with a late-season collapse by the Angels, to force the tie-breaker.
After winning the tie-breaker, the Mariners went on to play the New York Yankees
in the American League Division Series
. They won the series in 5 games on an 11th-inning double by Edgar Martinez
in Game 5, but lost the American League Championship Series
to the Cleveland Indians
in 6 games. The Angels, meanwhile, did not earn a trip to the postseason until .
As per normal MLB practice at the time, the home team for this game was determined by a series of coin tosses
held on September 18 to determine home teams for all potential one-game tiebreakers. All statistics
compiled during the game were added to each player's and/or team's regular season statistics. The game was nationally televised on ESPN
with Jon Miller
and Joe Morgan
making the call.
The first six innings of the game were largely a pitchers' duel between Seattle staff ace
Randy Johnson
and California's Mark Langston
, the Mariners' former staff ace who was traded to Montreal
for Johnson in . Seattle put runners in scoring position in the first and fifth innings, but only scored one run in the fifth when Dan Wilson scored on a single
by Vince Coleman
. Johnson was perfect—that is, he allowed no runners to reach base—until the 6th inning when Rex Hudler
singled but was stranded
at second base.
In the seventh inning, Langston allowed a single
to Mike Blowers
, then allowed Tino Martinez
on base via fielder's choice
, then hit
Joey Cora
to load the bases
with two outs
. Luis Sojo
followed with a double
to right field that glanced off of first baseman
J.T. Snow
's glove and rolled under California's bullpen
bench, scoring Blowers, Martinez, and Cora. Sojo himself scored on the play as a result of Langston's throwing error
, and Langston was replaced by relief pitcher
Bob Patterson
.
California, behind by five runs, threatened again in the 8th inning with runners on second and third, but Hudler grounded out to end the threat. In the bottom of the 8th, the Mariners again had the bases loaded when Tino Martinez singled to score Edgar Martinez
, followed by a Dan Wilson double that scored Jay Buhner
and Blowers, and finally a sacrifice fly
double play
hit by Cora that scored Tino Martinez but got Wilson thrown out at third. California led off the top of the 9th with a Tony Phillips
home run
to avoid the shutout
, but Johnson retired the next three Angels hitters to record his sixth complete game and 18th win of the season.
, 1982
, and 1986
), but failed to advance to the World Series
each time. In particular, the Angels blew a 2–0 series lead in the best-of-five 1982 ALCS
to the Milwaukee Brewers
, and were one strike away from defeating the Boston Red Sox
in Game 5 of the 1986 ALCS
but ended up losing that game and the next two to lose the best-of-seven series that they had led 3–1. They had not returned to the postseason since the 1986 loss.
Seattle, on the other hand, had only had two winning seasons since the franchise began play in (1991
and 1993
), and had never been to the postseason. The team had gone through three ownership changes in its first 15 years, its most recent coming in when a consortium led by Hiroshi Yamauchi
, which owns the Mariners to the present day, bought the team from Jeff Smulyan
, who had threatened to relocate the team as a consequence of its losing ways.
through May and June. They took the lead on July 2, and held on to that lead throughout the rest of July and all of August. Seattle, meanwhile, spent most of June through August in third or fourth place. They would bottom out on August 2, 13 games out of first place.
The Angels' fortunes began to change when they were swept by Boston
from August 21-23, then after winning one game over Baltimore
, went into a 9-game losing streak beginning August 25. Seattle had an August record of 16–13 (.552), while California had an August record of 13–17 (.433). Seattle took second place on September 2, with Texas in a losing streak it would never recover from.
Then in September, California went into a second 9-game skid from September 13-23, allowing Seattle to take first place on September 22 in the middle of their own 7-game winning streak. California sank to 3 games out of first place with 5 games left in the season, but won those last 5 games—including a 4-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics
—while Seattle lost 3 of their last 5 games, forcing the tiebreaker.
.
The game was a stepping stone in what is widely regarded in Seattle as the most memorable season in Mariners franchise history. Having secured their first ever postseason berth, the Mariners went on to play the New York Yankees
in the first American League Division Series
played under the present-day format. They would defeat the Yankees in Game 5 of the ALDS, on the heels of Edgar Martinez
' game-winning double, but ultimately were defeated by the Cleveland Indians
in the American League Championship Series
.
The game marked the beginning of the most successful era in Seattle franchise history, as they would go on to win AL West division championships again in 1997
and 2001
, and an AL Wild Card berth in 2000
. However, they failed to reach the World Series each time and remain one of two MLB franchises to never reach the Fall Classic, along with the Washington Nationals.
Off the field, the Mariners' AL West championship as well as its memorable run in the postseason served as a catalyst for public funding for a new ballpark
. Less than two weeks before the tiebreaker, the residents of King County, Washington
(whose county seat
is Seattle) voted against a sales tax increase to fund a new stadium, but shortly after their ALDS victory, the Washington State Legislature
reconvened and approved a separate funding package for a new stadium. The new stadium, now called Safeco Field
, opened in July 1999.
The two franchises' fortunes were reversed beginning in and continuing to the present day, as the Angels rose to the most successful era in their history by winning the aforementioned World Series and five division titles while the Mariners returned to the bottom of the division standings for most of those years (the only exceptions being in and , when they finished second).
One-game playoff
A one-game playoff, sometimes known as a pennant playoff or play-in game, is a tiebreaker in certain sports—usually but not always professional—to determine which of two teams, tied in the final standings, will qualify for a post-season tournament...
for Major League Baseball's
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
AL West
American League West
The American League West is one of three divisions in Major League Baseball's American League. The division currently has four teams, but it has had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams currently only reside along the west coast and in Texas, historically the...
division championship, played on October 2, between the California Angels
1995 California Angels season
The California Angels 1995 season featured the Angels finishing in second place in the American League West with a record of 78 wins and 67 losses.The 1995 Angels went through one of the worst late-season collapses in Major League Baseball history...
and Seattle Mariners
1995 Seattle Mariners season
The Seattle Mariners' 1995 season was the 19th in the history of the franchise. The team finished with a regular season record of 79–66, tying the California Angels for first in the American League West...
at the Kingdome
Kingdome
The Kingdome was a multi-purpose stadium located in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood. Owned and operated by King County, the Kingdome opened in 1976 and was best known as the home stadium of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League , the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball , and the...
in Seattle. The game was necessitated due to both teams finishing the strike-shortened 144 game season with identical records of 78–66. Seattle won the game by a score of 9–1, securing its first playoff berth in franchise history.
The game matched two highly unlikely teams: The Angels had not been to the postseason since , and had not finished above third place in the American League West since. On the other hand, the Mariners had never been to the postseason, and before 1995 only had two seasons with a winning percentage
Winning percentage
In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. It is defined as wins divided by wins plus losses . Ties count as a ½ loss and a ½ win...
above .500. With less than two months left in the 1995 regular season, the Angels held a comfortable lead in the AL West standings, 11 games ahead
Games behind
In sports, the phrase games behind or games back , is a common way to reflect the gap between a leading team and another team in a sports league, conference, or division...
of the second-place Texas Rangers
1995 Texas Rangers season
The Texas Rangers 1995 season involved the Rangers finishing third in the American League west with a record of 74 wins and 70 losses.-Offseason:...
and 13 games ahead of the third-place Mariners. However, the Mariners mounted a late-season comeback, coupled with a late-season collapse by the Angels, to force the tie-breaker.
After winning the tie-breaker, the Mariners went on to play the New York Yankees
1995 New York Yankees season
The New York Yankees' 1995 season was the 93rd season for the Yankees, their 71st playing home games at Yankee Stadium. Managed by Buck Showalter, the team finished with a record of 79-65, seven games behind the Boston Red Sox. They won the first American League Wild Card...
in the American League Division Series
1995 American League Division Series
-Seattle Mariners vs. New York Yankees:-Game 1, Tuesday, October 3:Jacobs Field in Cleveland, OhioAfter a 39-minute rain delay, Game 1 got underway with two veterans, Roger Clemens and Dennis Martínez, starting the opener. The Red Sox jumped in front first in the third on John Valentin's two run...
. They won the series in 5 games on an 11th-inning double by Edgar Martinez
Edgar Martinez
Edgar Martínez , nicknamed "Gar" and "Papi", is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and designated hitter. He spent his entire 18-year Major League career with the Seattle Mariners. He is the cousin of Carmelo Martínez.-Seattle Mariners:On December 19, 1982, the Seattle Mariners signed...
in Game 5, but lost the American League Championship Series
1995 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 10, 1995 at Kingdome in Seattle, WashingtonThe Indians called on the veteran Dennis Martinez for Game 1. The Mariners rode the arm of Bob Wolcott. Wolcott got off to a shaky start by walking three straight hitters to open the game. But he would get out of the bases loaded...
to the Cleveland Indians
1995 Cleveland Indians season
The Cleveland Indians season was the Major League Baseball season that led to the Indians returning to the World Series for the first time since . In a season that started late by 18 games - giving it just a 144 games - the Indians finished in first place in the American League Central Division...
in 6 games. The Angels, meanwhile, did not earn a trip to the postseason until .
Line score and summary
Coin flipping
Coin flipping or coin tossing or heads or tails is the practice of throwing a coin in the air to choose between two alternatives, sometimes to resolve a dispute between two parties...
held on September 18 to determine home teams for all potential one-game tiebreakers. All statistics
Baseball statistics
Statistics play an important role in summarizing baseball performance and evaluating players in the sport.Since the flow of a baseball game has natural breaks to it, and normally players act individually rather than performing in clusters, the sport lends itself to easy record-keeping and statistics...
compiled during the game were added to each player's and/or team's regular season statistics. The game was nationally televised on ESPN
ESPN Major League Baseball
ESPN Major League Baseball is a promotion of Major League Baseball on ESPN and ESPN2, with simulcasts on ESPNHD or ESPN2HD. ESPN's MLB coverage debuted on April 9, 1990 with three Opening Day telecasts. ESPN Major League Baseball is guaranteed to remain on air until 2013.The title is derived from...
with Jon Miller
Jon Miller
Jon Wallace Miller is an American sportscaster, known primarily for his broadcasts of Major League Baseball. He is currently employed as a play-by-play announcer for the San Francisco Giants. He was also a baseball announcer on ESPN until the network chose not to renew his contract following the...
and Joe Morgan
Joe Morgan
Joe Leonard Morgan is a former Major League Baseball second baseman who played for the Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Oakland Athletics from 1963 to 1984. He won two World Series championships with the Reds in 1975 and 1976 and was also named the...
making the call.
The first six innings of the game were largely a pitchers' duel between Seattle staff ace
Ace (baseball)
In baseball, an ace is the best starting pitcher of any team and nearly always the first pitcher in his starting rotation. Barring injury or exceptional circumstances, an ace usually always starts on Opening Day...
Randy Johnson
Randy Johnson
Randall David Johnson , nicknamed "The Big Unit", is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. During a 22-year career, he pitched for six different teams....
and California's Mark Langston
Mark Langston
Mark Edward Langston is an American former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He pitched for the Seattle Mariners , Montreal Expos , California and Anaheim Angels , San Diego Padres , and Cleveland Indians...
, the Mariners' former staff ace who was traded to Montreal
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
for Johnson in . Seattle put runners in scoring position in the first and fifth innings, but only scored one run in the fifth when Dan Wilson scored on a single
Single (baseball)
In baseball, a single is the most common type of base hit, accomplished through the act of a batter safely reaching first base by hitting a fair ball and getting to first base before a fielder puts him out...
by Vince Coleman
Vince Coleman
Vincent Maurice Coleman is an American former Major League Baseball player, best known for his years with the St. Louis Cardinals. Primarily a left fielder, Coleman played from to and set a number of stolen base records. He was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed.-Biography:Coleman attended...
. Johnson was perfect—that is, he allowed no runners to reach base—until the 6th inning when Rex Hudler
Rex Hudler
Rex Allen Hudler is a former Major League Baseball utility player. He played a total of thirteen seasons after being a first round draft pick of the New York Yankees in 1978.-Playing career:...
singled but was stranded
Left on base
In baseball, a baserunner is said to be left on base when the half-inning ends, he has not scored, and he has not been put out. This is to include a batter-runner who has hit into a fielder's choice, causing another runner to be put out as the 3rd out...
at second base.
In the seventh inning, Langston allowed a single
Single (baseball)
In baseball, a single is the most common type of base hit, accomplished through the act of a batter safely reaching first base by hitting a fair ball and getting to first base before a fielder puts him out...
to Mike Blowers
Mike Blowers
Michael Roy Blowers is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and first baseman. He is an alumnus of Bethel High School in Spanaway, Washington, Tacoma Community College and the University of Washington...
, then allowed Tino Martinez
Tino Martinez
Constantino "Tino" Martinez is a former Major League Baseball first baseman.Martinez was the first round draft pick for the Seattle Mariners in out of the University of Tampa where he starred during his time on campus. He began his Major League career in and has played for the Mariners, New...
on base via fielder's choice
Fielder's choice
In baseball, fielder's choice is a term used to refer to a variety of plays involving an offensive player reaching a base due to the defense's attempt to put out another baserunner, or the defensive team's indifference to his advance...
, then hit
Hit by pitch
In baseball, hit by pitch , or hit batsman , is a batter or his equipment being hit in some part of his body by a pitch from the pitcher.-Official rule:...
Joey Cora
Joey Cora
Jose Manuel Cora Amaro was a baseball player known as "The Rooster" with an 11 year career in the MLB spanning the years 1987 and 1989-1998. He played for the San Diego Padres of the National League and the Chicago White Sox, Seattle Mariners and Cleveland Indians of the American League...
to load the bases
Bases loaded
In the sport of baseball, the bases are loaded when there is a runner on each base . This presents a great scoring opportunity for the batting team, but it also presents an easy double play opportunity for the defense. Causing the bases to become loaded is called loading the bases...
with two outs
Out (baseball)
In baseball, an out occurs when the defensive, or fielding, team effects any of a number of different events, and the umpire rules a batter or baserunner out. When a player is called out, he is said to be retired...
. Luis Sojo
Luis Sojo
Luis Beltrán Sojo Sojo is a former Major League Baseball infielder and right-handed batter who played with the Toronto Blue Jays , California Angels , Seattle Mariners , New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates...
followed with a double
Double (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
to right field that glanced off of first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
J.T. Snow
J. T. Snow
Jack Thomas "J. T." Snow, Jr. is a former Major League Baseball player. He played all but two games in his career as a first baseman, and played nine of his 13½ seasons with the San Francisco Giants...
's glove and rolled under California's bullpen
Bullpen
In baseball, the bullpen is the area where relief pitchers warm-up before entering a game. Depending on the ballpark, it may be situated in foul territory along the baselines or just beyond the outfield fence. Also, a team's roster of relief pitchers is metonymically referred to as "the bullpen"...
bench, scoring Blowers, Martinez, and Cora. Sojo himself scored on the play as a result of Langston's throwing error
Error (baseball)
In baseball statistics, an error is the act, in the judgment of the official scorer, of a fielder misplaying a ball in a manner that allows a batter or baserunner to reach one or more additional bases, when such an advance would have been prevented given ordinary effort by the fielder.The term ...
, and Langston was replaced by relief pitcher
Relief pitcher
A relief pitcher or reliever is a baseball or softball pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed due to injury, ineffectiveness, fatigue, ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as being substituted by a pinch hitter...
Bob Patterson
Bob Patterson
Bob Patterson is a 2001 television sitcom starring and written by Jason Alexander and Ira Steven Behr. It was directed by Robby Benson and Barnet Kellman. The show debuted on ABC on October 2, 2001 and the final episode aired October 31, 2001...
.
California, behind by five runs, threatened again in the 8th inning with runners on second and third, but Hudler grounded out to end the threat. In the bottom of the 8th, the Mariners again had the bases loaded when Tino Martinez singled to score Edgar Martinez
Edgar Martinez
Edgar Martínez , nicknamed "Gar" and "Papi", is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and designated hitter. He spent his entire 18-year Major League career with the Seattle Mariners. He is the cousin of Carmelo Martínez.-Seattle Mariners:On December 19, 1982, the Seattle Mariners signed...
, followed by a Dan Wilson double that scored Jay Buhner
Jay Buhner
Jay Campbell Buhner , nicknamed "Bone", is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He was among the most recognizable players of his day, noted for his shaved head, thick goatee, and patch of pine tar on the right hip of his uniform...
and Blowers, and finally a sacrifice fly
Sacrifice fly
In baseball, a sacrifice fly is a batted ball that satisfies four criteria:* There are fewer than two outs when the ball is hit.* The ball is hit to the outfield....
double play
Double play
In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....
hit by Cora that scored Tino Martinez but got Wilson thrown out at third. California led off the top of the 9th with a Tony Phillips
Tony Phillips
Keith Anthony Phillips is a former Major League Baseball utility player who had an 18-year career from to . He played regularly at three infield positions, primarily as a second baseman, but also had significant time as a shortstop and third baseman...
home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
to avoid the shutout
Shutout
In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....
, but Johnson retired the next three Angels hitters to record his sixth complete game and 18th win of the season.
Before 1995
Both teams entered the tiebreaker with long histories of frustration and disappointment. California had won the AL West division title on 3 occasions (19791979 California Angels season
The 1979 California Angels season involved the Angels finishing first in the American League West with a record of 88 wins and 74 losses. They went on to lose to the Baltimore Orioles in the 1979 American League Championship Series, three games to one....
, 1982
1982 California Angels season
The California Angels 1982 season involved the Angels finishing 1st in the American League west with a record of 93 wins and 69 losses.- Offseason :* December 6, 1981: Bob Boone was purchased by the Angels from the Philadelphia Phillies....
, and 1986
1986 California Angels season
The California Angels 1986 season was the franchise's 26th season and ended with the Angels losing the American League Championship Series in dramatic fashion....
), but failed to advance to the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
each time. In particular, the Angels blew a 2–0 series lead in the best-of-five 1982 ALCS
1982 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 5, 1982 at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, CaliforniaThe Angels jumped to a 1–0 lead in the first when Brian Downing scored an unearned run on a sacrifice fly by Don Baylor. Milwaukee came back to take a 3–1 lead with a two-run homer by Gorman Thomas in the second and a run...
to the Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
, and were one strike away from defeating the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
in Game 5 of the 1986 ALCS
1986 American League Championship Series
The 1986 American League Championship Series was a back-and-forth battle between the Boston Red Sox and the California Angels for the right to advance to the 1986 World Series to face the winner of the 1986 National League Championship Series...
but ended up losing that game and the next two to lose the best-of-seven series that they had led 3–1. They had not returned to the postseason since the 1986 loss.
Seattle, on the other hand, had only had two winning seasons since the franchise began play in (1991
1991 Seattle Mariners season
The Seattle Mariners 1991 season was their 15th since the franchise creation, and ended the season finishing 5th in the American League West, finishing with a record of 83-79. It was the first above-.500 season in franchise history.-Regular season:...
and 1993
1993 Seattle Mariners season
The Seattle Mariners 1993 season was their 17th since the franchise creation, and ended the season finishing 4th in the American League West, finishing with a record of 82-80. During the 1993 season, Randy Johnson set a club record with 308 strikeouts...
), and had never been to the postseason. The team had gone through three ownership changes in its first 15 years, its most recent coming in when a consortium led by Hiroshi Yamauchi
Hiroshi Yamauchi
is a Japanese businessman. He was the third president of Nintendo, joining the company in 1949 until stepping down on May 31, 2002, to be succeeded by Satoru Iwata. Yamauchi is credited with transforming Nintendo from a small hanafuda card-making company in Japan to today's multi-billion dollar...
, which owns the Mariners to the present day, bought the team from Jeff Smulyan
Jeff Smulyan
Jeffrey Smulyan born April 6, 1947, in Indianapolis, Indiana is the founder and CEO of Emmis Communications.He earned undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Southern California....
, who had threatened to relocate the team as a consequence of its losing ways.
1995 season
As a consequence of the 1994–95 Major League Baseball strike, the 1995 season started on April 25, and was shortened to 144 games instead of the normal 162. California took an early lead in the AL West standings and traded first place with TexasTexas Rangers (baseball)
The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
through May and June. They took the lead on July 2, and held on to that lead throughout the rest of July and all of August. Seattle, meanwhile, spent most of June through August in third or fourth place. They would bottom out on August 2, 13 games out of first place.
The Angels' fortunes began to change when they were swept by Boston
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
from August 21-23, then after winning one game over Baltimore
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
, went into a 9-game losing streak beginning August 25. Seattle had an August record of 16–13 (.552), while California had an August record of 13–17 (.433). Seattle took second place on September 2, with Texas in a losing streak it would never recover from.
Then in September, California went into a second 9-game skid from September 13-23, allowing Seattle to take first place on September 22 in the middle of their own 7-game winning streak. California sank to 3 games out of first place with 5 games left in the season, but won those last 5 games—including a 4-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
—while Seattle lost 3 of their last 5 games, forcing the tiebreaker.
Impact
The Angels' defeat in the tiebreaker marked a continuation of the team's struggles at the time. It was the closest the Angels would come to reaching the postseason during their playoff drought that lasted from to , when they won the AL Wild Card and ultimately the World Series2002 World Series
The 2002 World Series was a best-of-seven playoff series to determine the champion of Major League Baseball for the 2002 season. It was the 98th such contest between the champions of the American League and National League , and featured the AL champion Anaheim Angels against the NL champion San...
.
The game was a stepping stone in what is widely regarded in Seattle as the most memorable season in Mariners franchise history. Having secured their first ever postseason berth, the Mariners went on to play the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
in the first American League Division Series
American League Division Series
In Major League Baseball, the American League Division Series determines which two teams from the American League will advance to the American League Championship Series...
played under the present-day format. They would defeat the Yankees in Game 5 of the ALDS, on the heels of Edgar Martinez
Edgar Martinez
Edgar Martínez , nicknamed "Gar" and "Papi", is a former Major League Baseball third baseman and designated hitter. He spent his entire 18-year Major League career with the Seattle Mariners. He is the cousin of Carmelo Martínez.-Seattle Mariners:On December 19, 1982, the Seattle Mariners signed...
' game-winning double, but ultimately were defeated by the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
in the American League Championship Series
1995 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 10, 1995 at Kingdome in Seattle, WashingtonThe Indians called on the veteran Dennis Martinez for Game 1. The Mariners rode the arm of Bob Wolcott. Wolcott got off to a shaky start by walking three straight hitters to open the game. But he would get out of the bases loaded...
.
The game marked the beginning of the most successful era in Seattle franchise history, as they would go on to win AL West division championships again in 1997
1997 Seattle Mariners season
The Seattle Mariners 1997 season was their 21st since the franchise creation, and ended the season finishing 1st in the American League West, finishing with a record of 90-72...
and 2001
2001 Seattle Mariners season
The Seattle Mariners' 2001 season was the 25th since franchise inception, and ended with the Mariners winning their third American League West division title, with a record of 116-46. The team set an American League record for single-season wins, and tied the Major League record set by the Chicago...
, and an AL Wild Card berth in 2000
2000 Seattle Mariners season
The Seattle Mariners' 2000 season was the franchise's 24th, and ended with the Mariners losing the American League Championship Series to the New York Yankees in 6 games....
. However, they failed to reach the World Series each time and remain one of two MLB franchises to never reach the Fall Classic, along with the Washington Nationals.
Off the field, the Mariners' AL West championship as well as its memorable run in the postseason served as a catalyst for public funding for a new ballpark
Baseball field
A baseball field, also called a ball field or a baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The terms "baseball field" and "ball field" are also often used as synonyms for ballpark.-Specifications:...
. Less than two weeks before the tiebreaker, the residents of King County, Washington
King County, Washington
King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population in the 2010 census was 1,931,249. King is the most populous county in Washington, and the 14th most populous in the United States....
(whose county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
is Seattle) voted against a sales tax increase to fund a new stadium, but shortly after their ALDS victory, the Washington State Legislature
Washington State Legislature
The Washington State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a bipartisan, bicameral body, composed of the lower Washington House of Representatives, composed of 98 Representatives, and the upper Washington State Senate, with 49 Senators.The State Legislature...
reconvened and approved a separate funding package for a new stadium. The new stadium, now called Safeco Field
Safeco Field
Safeco Field is a retractable roof baseball stadium located in Seattle, Washington. The stadium, owned and operated by the Washington-King County Stadium Authority, is the home stadium of the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball and has a seating capacity of 47,878 for baseball...
, opened in July 1999.
The two franchises' fortunes were reversed beginning in and continuing to the present day, as the Angels rose to the most successful era in their history by winning the aforementioned World Series and five division titles while the Mariners returned to the bottom of the division standings for most of those years (the only exceptions being in and , when they finished second).
External links
- Box score at baseball-reference.com
- '95 10th Anniversary—Seattle Mariners official website commemorating the 10th anniversary of the 1995 season