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Randy Johnson and Dan Wilson to be Inducted into the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame

Induction ceremony set for Saturday, July 28, 2012

One of the best defensive catchers and one of the most dominant pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball will be inducted into the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame this year. Dan Wilson and Randy Johnson will become the fifth and sixth members of the Mariners Hall of Fame when they are inducted during a ceremony on Saturday, July 28, 2012, prior to the Mariners vs. Kansas City Royals game.

Dan Wilson played 12 of his 14 Major League seasons for the Mariners (1994-2005). Wilson, who played more games as a catcher than any other player in Mariners history (1,281), is ranked among the Top 10 in a bevy of Mariners offensive categories including:

  • Games played (1,251, 5th),
  • Hits (1,071, 6th),
  • Extra base hits (308, 9th),
  • Total bases (1,568, 8th),
  • Doubles (207, 6th),
  • RBI (508, 9th),
  • At-bats (4,085, 7th),
  • Runs (433, 10th).

Wilson represented the Mariners on the 1996 American League All-Star team. He owns the Mariners career records for home runs by a catcher (including two inside-the-park home runs), and the Club’s single season records for catchers in RBI (83, 1996), and is tied with Miguel Olivo (2011) for home runs (18, 1996). Wilson ended his career with a .995 fielding percentage, at the time the highest for any catcher in American League history, and the sixth highest in Major League history. He is currently tied for first among A.L. catchers with Joe Mauer and A.J.Pierzinski.

Randy Johnson had a 22-year Major League career, playing for six teams including 1989-1998 for the Mariners. He also played for the Montreal Expos (1988-89), Houston Astros (1998), Arizona Diamondbacks (1999-2004, 2007-08), New York Yankees (2005-06) and San Francisco Giants (2009).

Johnson had one of the most dominant fastballs in the game and regularly hit 100+ mph in his prime. He won five Cy Young Awards (1995, 1999-2002), including the first by a Mariners pitcher when he went 18-2 with a 2.48 ERA in 1995. Johnson pitched two no-hitters—June 2, 1990 vs. DET and MLB’s 17th perfect game on May 18, 2004.

Johnson came to Seattle in 1989 in a trade with the Montreal Expos. He had his breakout season in 1993 when he went 19-8 with 3.24 ERA and the first of his six 300+ strikeout seasons. Johnson was instrumental in the team’s first-ever trip to the postseason in 1995 when the Mariners staged an improbable late-season charge making up a 13-and-a-half game deficit. The Mariners finished the season tied with the Anaheim Angels, which forced a one-game playoff on October 2 at the Kingdome. The Mariners beat the Angels 9-1behind Johnson’s 12 strikeout, three-hit, complete game.

After the Mariners lost the first two games of the American League Division Series to the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, Johnson started Game 3 at the Kingdome and won 7-4. In Game 5, on one day’s rest, Johnson memorably strode in from the bullpen for a relief appearance. He pitched the 9th, 10th and 11th innings, giving up one run with six strikeouts. Johnson held off the Yankees for the comeback capped by Edgar Martinez’s double that scored the winning run. The Mariners won 6-5 in 11 innings, and went on to the team’s first-ever appearance in the American League Championship Series.

Randy Johnson retired after the 2009 season with a career win-loss record of 303-166, ERA of 3.29 and 4,875 strikeouts, second only to Nolan Ryan’s 5,714. In addition to his 10 trips to the All-Star Game (1990, 1993-95, 1997, 1999, 2001-02) and five Cy Young Awards (1995, 1999-2002), Johnson led the league in ERA four times (1995, 1999, 2001, 2002) and strikeouts nine times (1992-1995, 1999-2002, 2004). He was 2001 World Series co-MVP with Curt Schilling, and during his career, Johnson defeated every Major League team at least once.

The four current members of the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame are Alvin Davis (1997), Dave Niehaus (2000), Jay Buhner (2004) and Edgar Martinez (2007). The Hall of Fame was created to honor the players, staff and other individuals that greatly contributed to the history of the Mariners franchise.

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